A Polish Developer Built an App to Detect Nearby Meta Smart Glasses Over Bluetooth
A 30-year-old Polish software developer has created an iPhone app that can detect Meta smart glasses in the vicinity using Bluetooth signals, with around 5,000 users monthly since its launch.
The App and Its Functionality
Named Zuckoff, the app leverages a catalog of Bluetooth fingerprints from various smart glass models and matches them against what a phone’s Bluetooth hears. According to Business Insider, the developer, Pawel Szydlowski, bought multiple pairs of smart glasses and documented their Bluetooth signatures.
The app is free with an optional paid tier that enables background notifications. Its primary purpose, as stated by Szydlowski, is:
“We as a society have the right to at least know that someone is recording.”
Addressing a Privacy Concern
This app addresses a growing privacy concern surrounding Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses, which were selling in millions while users had no way of knowing if they were being recorded. Venues responded by implementing bans or using stickers to disable the recording light, but these solutions are limited and depend on physical proximity or visual line of sight.
The Technical Approach
Szydlowski’s app listens to Bluetooth advertisements openly transmitted by the glasses, matching them against his catalog. This approach is legal, cost-effective, and reproducible, leading to similar tools for Android.
Implications for Meta
The fix presented by Szydlowski poses a challenge for Meta as altering or randomizing device identifiers could disrupt pairing or degrade the product experience. Any changes made specifically to hinder detection would be viewed negatively in light of ongoing European regulatory scrutiny, particularly regarding data protection under the GDPR.
A Grassroots Solution
Notably, a single developer in Poland, with a collection of smart glasses and a Bluetooth scanner, has created a practical privacy solution for European citizens. This underscores the effectiveness of grassroots innovation in addressing technological privacy gaps.