Polish developer builds app that detects nearby Meta smart glasses - TVP World
Paweł Szydłowski, 30, developed the app, called Zuckoff, after seeing videos of people using smart glasses to film and identify unsuspecting strangers, he told Business Insider. The app scans Bluetooth signals from nearby devices and checks them for identifiers linked to known models of smart glasses. The app comes amid growing scrutiny of Meta’s smart glasses over concerns that people may not always realize when they are being filmed.
The tool alerts users to nearby camera-equipped glasses but cannot tell whether they are recording.
A Polish software developer has built an iPhone app that can detect nearby Meta smart glasses and estimate how far away they are, amid growing privacy concerns that the devices can be used to record people without their knowledge.
Paweł Szydłowski, 30, developed the app, called Zuckoff, after seeing videos of people using smart glasses to film and identify unsuspecting strangers, he told Business Insider.
The app scans Bluetooth signals from nearby devices and checks them for identifiers linked to known models of smart glasses.
Its main scanning screen shows users the estimated distance of nearby smart glasses, while a paid version can run in the background and send notifications when compatible glasses are detected.
The app has attracted around 5,000 users since launching on Apple’s App Store last month.
Szydłowski said he bought several models of smart glasses and examined the Bluetooth signals they broadcast to establish a digital “fingerprint” for each device.
Zuckoff compares information transmitted by nearby devices, including unique identifiers and manufacturer data, with known smart-glasses signatures.
Some devices broadcast Bluetooth services carrying names such as “Meta” or “Ray-Ban,” according to Szydłowski.
“If the unique identifier matches, and also if the manufacturer identifier matches, then we have like an ultimate combo there,” he told Business Insider.
Szydłowski said he was particularly concerned by videos of pickup artists using smart glasses to film encounters with women who did not always appear to realize they were being recorded.
“We as a society have the right to at least know that someone is recording,” he said.
The app comes amid growing scrutiny of Meta’s smart glasses over concerns that people may not always realize when they are being filmed.
Meta’s glasses have an LED indicator designed to light up while the camera is recording. The company recently disabled thousands of pairs after discovering that users had physically tampered with the indicator lights, according to Business Insider.
Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth has defended the safeguard, saying in a recent Instagram video: “We designed this camera to be noticed by the people around you.”
Szydłowski welcomed Meta’s recent efforts to strengthen privacy protections but said manufacturers could go further.
He also told Business Insider that EU regulators had contacted him seeking more information about the app.