Meta Ray-Ban display. Image source: Meta
Meta’s smart glasses are used to film people in bathrooms, courtrooms and doctor’s offices. A new app just released on Google Play is a perfect example of the security measures that should be implemented when Apple launches its smart glasses.
The Apple Vision Pro isn’t exactly inconspicuous. Meta’s Ray-Bans are and are mainly used to invade other people’s privacy.
I have already talked about the problem with smart glasses at length. Especially if the glasses are designed to be relatively unclockable from a distance.
As it turns out, people are having problems with these secret devices capable of live streaming. There are many ways people are pushing back, with petitions, writing campaigns, and in the case of one coder fan, coding.
Yves Jeanrenaud has created an app that identifies nearby smart glasses and pings your device to let you know there are any in the area.
“I see it as a small part of the backlash against surveillance technology,” Jeanrenaud said 404 Media.
The app, called “Near Glasses,” does so by identifying “advertising frames.” These are small beacons that Bluetooth devices emit as part of their normal operation.
Currently, the app is exclusively for Android devices. If you happen to have an Android device, you can download the app from the Google Play Store or GitHub.
It will occasionally return a false positive, especially when near a VR headset. Ace 404 Media points out that if you’re walking around in public, it’s less likely that someone will be wearing a VR headset like the aforementioned Apple Vision Pro.
And you can see this headset just like when someone picks up an iPhone to take a photo or stream.
A quick reminder of what people use smart glasses for
As I mentioned above, I’ve already talked about smart glasses here. However, if you missed it, or if you’ve been living under a rock—lucky you—I’ll fill you in on why this is such a big deal.
Meta’s Ray-Ban Display is designed to look like a regular pair of glasses. Ugly glasses yes, but normal glasses anyway.
The aftermarket modification of the smart glasses removes the LED filming indicator lights
Most people probably wouldn’t immediately recognize that the glasses are actually a camera. Especially at a distance, when they look like really massive glasses again.
And his fan base knows it. This is why there is a constant trend for owners to bring them into massage parlors and harass the staff. It’s even worse when the bespectacled boss is actually live-streaming on Instagram to thousands of people.
But it’s not just massage parlors that have problems with smart glasses. People who buy them tend to wear them everywhere – the bedroom, the doctor’s office, hospitals, and yes, the public bathroom. Let that sink in for a while.
Both ICE and Border Patrol agents have worn artificial intelligence-powered Meta glasses at protests and during immigration raids. So are the protesters.
Heck, even Mark Zuckerberg recently wore his pair to a courtroom where his company was on trial. Judge Carolyn Kuhl emphasized her immediate concern — the glasses, which could be used in conjunction with facial recognition software — could be used to identify jurors.
She immediately promised punishment for the wearer in the courtroom for the future.
It doesn’t really matter what the smart glasses are for. Use determines purpose, and for a significant portion of Meta glasses owners, the primary purpose of using the cameras is to harass or otherwise harm others.
What Apple should do but probably won’t
Apple has not beaten anyone in the market with AI. The company is also relatively late to the smartglasses release game.
In the past, Apple fans always said, “Apple may not be first to market, it may be late, but it will be late with a better product.”
And maybe that was true in the past. Unfortunately, in a hyper-volatile tech market, Apple doesn’t have the luxury of waiting—the Apple Intelligence debacle has proven that time and time again.
Because Apple is so late to the smart glasses market, it is already anticipated what these devices will be used for. Meta has proven that her glasses are used to harass people quite often.
Unfortunately, there are a significant number of people who buy these devices for that purpose.
Meta and Snap Inc have defined what smart glasses should be used for: filming. Customers expect not only the possibility of filming, but also the possibility of live broadcasting on the go.
Sure, some smart glasses can probably have a useful display that can show you directions or useful information about what you’re looking at. That’s a nice feature, but it’s not why most people buy them.
Most people buy them because they integrate with social media platforms. They are primarily cameras.
And because of that, Apple is struggling a bit. Should the company submit to the whims of a market that is proving to be increasingly influenced by nefarious actors, or should it stick to its models focused on privacy and security?
“Apple Glass” concept.
If Apple wanted to take an ethical step, it would include glasses that could not be used for filming or photography. Instead, the camera would help power other features such as pedestrian routes and object identification.
However, if Apple wants to survive in the market, it will probably have to enable its glasses to at least take pictures and record video. If it doesn’t, it risks releasing a product that fans and detractors see as a complete failure.
As always, I have no answer to the problem. However, this smart glass detection app is a good start.
We’re at a point where surveillance technology, whether it’s smart glasses or doorbell cameras, isn’t going away. To make matters worse, no one seems particularly interested in passing regulations surrounding it.
Welcome to the future, dear reader. Is it as great as you’d hope it would be?