One of the main problems with “high-end surveillance” devices such as smart glasses that have built-in video recording cameras is that they are often indistinguishable from regular glasses and can be recorded without your knowledge.
But now there are apps that can detect and alert you when someone nearby is wearing smart glasses or potentially other constant recording technology.
Aptly named “Nearby Glasses,” this Android app constantly scans for nearby signals emitted by Bluetooth-enabled technology, including wearable devices from Meta (and Oakley) and Snap.
The apps are being launched en masse as there is growing resistance to constant recording or eavesdropping devices that process information about people nearby who have not given their consent.
The app's creator, Yves Jeanrenaud, first spoke to 404 Media about the project and said he was inspired to create Nearby Glasses in part after reading reports in independent publications about wearable surveillance devices, including how Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses are being used in immigration raids and to film and harass sex workers.
On the app's project page, Jeanrenaud described smart glasses as “a terrifying technology that is an intolerable intrusion and disregards consent.”
Jeanneau told TechCrunch in an email that he was motivated by “witnessing the scale and inhumane nature of the abuses that smart glasses are implicated in.” Jeanrenaud also addressed Meta's decision to implement facial recognition as a default feature on its smart glasses, saying, “I think this is a huge floodgate that opens up for all kinds of privacy violations.”
The app works by listening for nearby Bluetooth signals that contain a publicly assigned identifier unique to the manufacturer of your Bluetooth device. When the app detects a Bluetooth signal from a nearby Meta or Snap hardware device, the app will send an alert to the user. (The app also allows users to add their own specific Bluetooth identifier, allowing users to discover a wider range of wearable surveillance gadgets.)
Screenshot image credit: Yves Jeanrenaud
Jeanrenaud said the app could be prone to false positives. This means the app could detect a nearby virtual reality headset made by Meta, think it's a smart glass made by the same device manufacturer, and alert the user. That said, virtual reality headsets are typically larger and make it more obvious that you're wearing the device.
To test this out, I loaded the app on my Android phone and walked around my city neighborhood, but (surprisingly) not a single person was wearing smart glasses and I received no alerts.
But the app allows it, so I added a specific Bluetooth identifier (0x004C). Now you can search for nearby Apple devices. Then (as you might have guessed) my test device was immediately flooded with alerts, potentially detecting every nearby Apple device.
This confirms that the app works as designed.
Jeanrenaud said they are still adding new features and there is demand for the iPhone app, but it depends on free time and availability.
Jeanneau said of the app: “Of course, this is a technological solution to a social problem[that is amplified by technology]and it's not going away anytime soon,” and called the app “a desperate act of resistance that at least hopes to help someone.”
Spokespersons for Meta and Snap did not respond to TechCrunch's requests for comment.