This app warns you about nearby smart glasses
What's the story
A new Android app, called Nearby Glasses, has been launched to help people identify the presence of smart glasses in their vicinity. The app works by scanning for Bluetooth signals emitted by wearable devices from companies like Meta and Snap. It comes as a response to growing concerns over "luxury surveillance" devices that can record video without being detected.
App development
App was inspired by reporting on surveillance devices
The app's creator, Yves Jeanrenaud, was partly inspired by 404 Media's reporting on wearable surveillance devices. He described smart glasses as an "intolerable intrusion, consent neglecting, horrible piece of tech." Jeanrenaud said his motivation for developing Nearby Glasses came from "witnessing the sheer scale and inhumane nature of the abuse these smart glasses are involved in."
Functionality
How does the app work?
Nearby Glasses detects Bluetooth signals with a publicly assigned identifier unique to the manufacturer's device. If it picks up a signal from a Meta or Snap device, it alerts the user. The app also lets users add their own specific Bluetooth identifiers, broadening its detection range for wearable surveillance devices. However, Jeanrenaud warned that false positives could occur if non-smart glasses devices are detected.
Future prospects
There have been requests for iPhone version of the app
Jeanrenaud is still working on adding new features to the app and has received requests for an iPhone version. He described the app as "a technical solution to a social problem (which is amplified by technology), and it won't go away any time soon." Spokespeople for Meta and Snap have not yet commented on this development.