• New app detects hidden cameras and alerts users

A new app has been launched that can identify smart devices that record video continuously, such as smart glasses with built-in cameras, which often look indistinguishable from regular eyewear.

This makes it possible for people to be recorded without their knowledge.

The Android app, named Nearby Glasses, continuously scans for nearby Bluetooth signals emitted by wearable devices, including products from companies like Meta, Oakley, and Snap. It alerts users when it detects any nearby device that may be recording video.

The launch comes amid growing concerns and criticism over devices that constantly record or listen, which collect information about people without their consent.

The app’s developer, Yves Jeanrenaud, said the idea was inspired by reports on wearable surveillance devices. He described smart glasses as “an unacceptable intrusion on privacy and a problematic technology that ignores consent,” adding that Meta’s default face-recognition feature in its smart glasses “opens the door to widespread privacy violations.”

The app works by detecting nearby Bluetooth signals that carry a unique identifier assigned to the device manufacturer. When it detects signals from devices made by Meta or Snap, it sends an alert to the user. Users can also manually add Bluetooth identifiers to expand detection to more wearable surveillance devices.

Jeanrenaud noted that the app may occasionally generate false alerts—for example, mistaking a nearby virtual reality headset for smart glasses from the same manufacturer—though VR headsets are typically larger and more noticeable.

The developer continues to add new features and acknowledged there is demand for an iPhone version, though its release depends on available time. Jeanrenaud described the app as “a technical solution to a social problem worsened by technology, a desperate act of resistance hoping to help at least one person.”