A new app alerts you if someone nearby is wearing smart glasses
Source: TechCrunch
One of the chief problems with “luxury surveillance” devices—such as smart glasses with built‑in video recording cameras—is that they often look indistinguishable from regular eyewear, meaning you might be recorded without knowing it.
The Nearby Glasses app
The Android app, aptly named Nearby Glasses, constantly scans for nearby signals emitted by Bluetooth‑enabled tech, such as wearable devices made by Meta (and Oakley) and Snap. It launches at a time of increasing resistance against always‑recording or listening devices, which critics say process information about nearby people who have not given their consent.
Motivation and background
Yves Jeanrenaud, the developer, first spoke to 404 Media about the project. He was inspired by reporting on wearable surveillance devices, including how Meta’s Ray‑Ban smart glasses have been used in immigration raids and to film and harass sex workers.
On the app’s project page, Jeanrenaud described smart glasses as an “intolerable intrusion, consent‑neglecting, horrible piece of tech.” He told TechCrunch that his motivation came from “witnessing the sheer scale and inhumane nature of the abuse these smart glasses are involved in.” He also cited Meta’s decision to implement face recognition as a default feature in its glasses, which he considers “a huge floodgate pushed open for all kinds of privacy‑invasive behaviour.”
How the app works
The app listens for nearby Bluetooth signals that contain a publicly assigned identifier unique to the device’s manufacturer (see the Bluetooth Assigned Numbers specification). If a signal from a hardware device made by Meta or Snap is detected, the app sends the user an alert. Users can also add their own specific Bluetooth identifiers, expanding detection to a broader range of wearable surveillance gadgetry.
Image credit: Yves Jeanrenaud
Testing the app
The author installed the app on an Android phone, walked around a city neighborhood, and found no smart‑glasses wearers—no alerts were received. After adding a specific Bluetooth identifier (0x004C) to search for Apple devices, the phone immediately flooded with alerts, likely picking up every Apple‑made device in close proximity. This demonstrated that the detection mechanism works as designed.
Limitations and future plans
Jeanrenaud acknowledges that the app may produce false positives—for example, detecting a nearby Meta virtual‑reality headset and mistakenly alerting the user as if it were smart glasses. However, VR headsets are usually larger and more obvious.
He is still adding new features and mentioned demand for an iPhone version, though development depends on spare time and availability. Speaking about the app, he said: “Of course, it’s a technical solution to a social problem (which is amplified by technology), and it won’t go away anytime soon,” describing it as “a desperate act of resistance, hoping it would help at least someone.”
Responses from manufacturers
Spokespeople for Meta and Snap did not respond to TechCrunch’s requests for comment.