Science & Tech · Cybersecurity · 1 day ago
Apps can help identify nearby smart glasses, but detection is not guaranteed
Smart glasses look like ordinary spectacles but can play audio, use AI assistants and take photos or videos.
Their hands-free recording can be useful, but it also raises concerns about people being recorded without their knowledge.
Some manufacturers include a recording light, though it may be hard to see or can be tampered with.
New York courts have banned smart glasses, and apps such as Nearby Glasses and ZuckOff are designed to alert users to nearby pairs.
Nearby Glasses scans for Bluetooth signals linked to smart glasses and lets users adjust how sensitive the scan is.
It cannot guarantee detection, because glasses may have Bluetooth turned off, and it does not identify who is wearing them.
Apps can scan for nearby smart glasses by searching for Bluetooth devices and matching their identifying codes.
The apps can warn users about possible smart glasses, but detection is not guaranteed.
Nearby Glasses is free on Android and iOS and is open source.
The apps cannot identify which nearby person is wearing detected glasses.
Smart glasses can record hands-free, raising concerns about people being recorded without their knowledge.
- Who
- Users of Nearby Glasses and ZuckOff can scan for nearby smart glasses.
- What
- The apps scan for possible smart glasses using Bluetooth signals. Detection is not guaranteed, and the apps cannot identify who is wearing them.
- When
- Not stated
- Where
- In the user’s immediate vicinity.
- Why
- To alert users to possible nearby smart glasses and help them know whether recording could be taking place.
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- Nearby Glasses
- Free on Android and iOS; open source
- Detection method
- Scans Bluetooth devices and matches registered codenames
- Detection limitation
- Smart glasses may not be detected if Bluetooth is disabled
- Identification limitation
- The apps cannot identify which person is wearing the glasses
Sources
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