Bold claim: Smart glasses are creeping into our everyday view, and you might be surprised by how close they are—sometimes literally in your face. But here’s where it gets controversial: a new app aims to help you spot them before they spot you.
As wearable smart glasses move from novelty to near-ubiquitous gear—think Meta’s Ray-Ban models—you may find it hard to tell when someone nearby could be secretly recording video in public. Enter Nearby Glasses, a smartphone app designed to alert you when you’re near such devices by scanning for Bluetooth signals.
What the app does is scan for advertising frames that wearers’ devices broadcast via Bluetooth. It identifies signals from manufacturers tied to popular smart glasses ecosystems, including Meta, Snap, and EssilorLuxottica (the group behind Ray-Ban and Oakley). The goal is to give people a heads‑up about potential recording devices in their vicinity.
These glasses aren’t just ordinary frames. They pack a surprising amount of tech—speakers, microphones, AI features, and discreet cameras. Meta’s eyewear has helped push wearables into the mainstream, and the glasses are produced by EssilorLuxottica and sold under Ray‑Ban and Oakley brands. Last year, the company reportedly sold more than seven million units. In addition to Meta’s line, Snap sells its own Spectacles, and other tech giants like Apple, Google, and Samsung are pursuing similar devices.
Looking ahead, the tech could feel even more invasive. The New York Times recently reported that Meta is developing facial‑recognition features, including something called Name Tag, which would let wearers identify people and retrieve information about them via Meta’s AI assistant. That possibility has sparked debate about privacy and surveillance.
The app’s creator, Yves Jeanrenaud, tells 404 Media that Nearby Glasses is “a tiny part of resistance against surveillance tech.” His team started building the app after hearing about cases where smart glasses were used to record people without consent—such as inappropriate filming in public spaces—and reports of government agents wearing such devices on duty.
How does it work? The app searches for Bluetooth signals emitted by so‑called advertising frames and cross‑references them with a directory of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) manufacturers to identify signals from Meta, Snap, and EssilorLuxottica’s brands. Jeanrenaud emphasizes that this is a social problem amplified by tech, not a cure‑all—he cautions that the approach can produce false positives (for example, confusing a VR headset with smart glasses).
Availability and future plans: Nearby Glasses is currently on Google Play Store and GitHub, with a noted plan for an iOS version. The Play Store page itself cautions that smart glasses are becoming more common in everyday life, yet they’re not always easy to distinguish from standard eyewear.
Responses from Meta and Snap were not immediately provided to Gizmodo for comment.
Thought starters: Does the existence of an app like Nearby Glasses push us toward healthier privacy norms, or does it risk normalizing constant surveillance awareness at the expense of practical usability? Are the trade‑offs of identifying witnesses versus invading developers’ design intentions worth the debate? Share your take in the comments: should tech help us spot recording devices, or should we push for stronger laws and clearer standards that protect privacy without over‑policing public spaces?
