(Credit: Mark Zuckerberg/Instagram)
If you’re worried someone wearing smart glasses is filming you without your knowledge, a new Android app called Nearby Glasses could help.
The app detects Bluetooth signals from smart glasses with built-in cameras and notifies users about possible recording. You can download the app from the Google Play Store or GitHub right now. After granting the required permissions, tap the Start Scanning button to begin looking for smart glasses.
According to a GitHub entry by developer Yves Jeanrenaud, the app's notifications will show the manufacturer's name. Jeanrenaud says he managed to add that capability by referring to manufacturer identifiers assigned by Bluetooth to companies like Meta, Snap, and Ray-Ban’s parent Luxottica Group.
The app arrives at a time when concerns around discreet recording through wearable devices, especially smart glasses, are growing. To add to the concern, a recent New York Times report stated that Meta was planning to introduce a facial recognition feature called Name Tag. The feature will allow the company’s smart glasses to identify people and gather information about them.
“I consider it [Nearby Glasses] to be a tiny part of resistance against surveillance tech,” Jeanrenaud told 404 Media. Notably, Jeanrenaud isn’t a pro developer, and he admits the app might show false negatives at times. “Harassing someone because you think they are wearing a covert surveillance device can be a criminal offense,” he reminds.
For now, the app remains limited to Android, while an “iOS port is in the making,” Jeanrenaud confirmed.
If you are unable to use the Nearby Glasses app right now, you can refer to a detailed guide by PCMag’s wearables expert, Will Greenwald, that explains how to tell if someone is recording you with smart glasses and outlines the signs to watch for.