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One of the biggest problems with “super vision” devices, such as smart glasses with built-in video cameras, is that they often look indistinguishable from regular clothing, meaning you could be photographed without knowing it.
But now there’s an app that can detect and alert you if someone nearby is wearing smart glasses, or some other permanent recording technology.
Android app, aptly named Close Up Glassesit constantly scans for nearby signals from Bluetooth-enabled technology, such as wearable devices made by Meta (and Oakley) and Snap.
The program comes at a time when there is growing opposition to the constant recording or listening devices, which critics say change information about neighbors who don’t give their consent.
Yves Jeanrenaud, who created the program, spoke to him for the first time 404 Media about the project and said he was inspired to create Close Up Glasses after reading independent book reports into visual aids, including how Ray-Ban Meta smart sunglasses they will be used in immigrant communities and to films and torturing sex offenders.
On the website of the program project, Jeanrenaud he explained smart glasses like “persistent intrusion, disregard for consent, dangerous technology.”
Jeanrenaud told TechCrunch in an email that his inspiration came from “witnessing the scale and brutality of the brutality that these smart glasses do.” Jeanrenaud also referred to Meta’s decision to set face detection as default in his smart glasses, “which I see as a huge door that opens to all kinds of privacy-intrusive practices.”
The app works by listening for nearby Bluetooth signals that have a publicly issued identification unique to the manufacturer of the Bluetooth device. If the app detects a Bluetooth signal from a nearby hardware device made by Meta or Snap, the app sends an alert to the user. (The app also allows users to add their own Bluetooth identifiers, which allows the user to identify more visible devices.)
Jeanrenaud said the program may contain false positives. This means that the app can recognize a nearby Meta-made headset and inform the user that it is a pair of smart glasses made from the same device. That said, real headsets are often large and obvious to someone wearing the device.
To test this, I loaded the app on my Android phone and drove around my city, and I found (surprisingly) no smart glasses, and I didn’t get any alerts.
But since the software allows it, I added the Bluetooth identifier (0x004C), which allowed me to search for nearby Apple-made devices – and my test device was full of information (as you would expect), probably carrying any Apple-made device near me.
This showed that the program was working as designed.
Jeanrenaud is still adding new features, and said there is a need for an iPhone app, but it depends on free time and availability.
Regarding the program, Jeanrenaud said: “Indeed, it is a technical solution to the development problem (which is exacerbated by technology), and it will not end soon,” and he described the program as “a difficult resistance, I hope it can help someone.”
Spokespeople for Meta and Snap did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
