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You may be being filmed without knowing it, alert for Meta's "perverted glasses" that look completely normal

2026-08-22 17:16:02Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

You may be being filmed without knowing it, alert for Meta's

Dr Yves Jeanrenaud, founder of Nearby Glasses, told LBC that videos filmed with the Meta glasses, in which vulnerable women were harassed, had left him "angry and concerned".

By Flaminia Luck - LBC

The fear of being filmed without your knowledge is no longer limited to CCTV cameras and hidden cameras. It can now silently sit in the face of the person next to you on the train, across from you on the street, or next to you in a shop.

That's the concern raised by Nearby Glasses, an app created by Dr Yves Jeanrenaud, a sociologist and professor of Gender and Diversity in Engineering and Computer Science at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. He designed and built the app to alert people when smart glasses that may have recording capabilities are nearby. The rise in the use of the high-tech glasses has been met with mixed reactions, despite their promotion by big names including Kylie Jenner and BLACKPINK's Jennie.

The devices, nicknamed "perverted glasses" online, have raised fears about surveillance and brought the discussion about the right to privacy back into the public spotlight.

For someone whose academic work explores gender, diversity and technology and how these fields intersect, the implications are too great to ignore. This inspired Dr Jeanrenaud to create the app, which works by scanning for Bluetooth signals near the user that are connected to suitable wearable technology.

When a device is detected, a canary icon appears on the screen, which in the app is related to the idea of ​​the “warranty canary,” symbolizing the absence of circumstances that could cause you concern. When the canary moves away or changes, it means that circumstances have changed.

Dr Jeanrenaud felt compelled to take action after being particularly concerned by videos filmed with these devices during immigration checks and videos of massage parlor workers being harassed and embarrassed. This footage was then used by individuals to promote adult sites such as OnlyFans.

“I was worried and angry,” he told LBC, and went on to explain that the problem is not simply that people can be filmed, but that they may not be aware that it is happening. “In my opinion, as long as someone is not aware that they are being filmed, it is not right; however, from a legal point of view, it may still be perfectly legal in many countries.”

He fears that the impact of this technology could be particularly severe on people who are already vulnerable. Women and children are among those he says are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of surreptitious recording and distribution of material online. “The impact of this type of technology is more severe than we can imagine,” he warned. “Of course, people say and will always say bad things, but now this is amplified by big technology,” he said. This amplification, which he says could lead to a climate of even more paranoia and mistrust, is at the heart of his concern. A private action can become public content in a matter of seconds. Something recorded without someone’s knowledge can potentially reach thousands, even millions, of people. Once online, the person being filmed may have little or no control over what happens next.

“This kind of technology distances us from each other,” said Dr Jeanrenaud. “It divides us through this distrust, which is so reinforced by such technology.” He argues that a society where people have to constantly wonder if they are being filmed does not foster authenticity and can make people suspicious and withdrawn.

However, he is careful not to come across as an activist leading a crusade against smart glasses. “I’m not an activist,” he admitted, describing Nearby Glasses as a “specialized side project.”

Dr Jeanrenaud is a sociologist. “I study society,” he said, “and the consequences that these devices can have on behavior are obvious.” He worries that this could gradually “normalize” a society where everything we do is recorded. “Studies have shown that if you are being recorded, it changes behavior, it changes the way you act and think,” he said.

He says the possibility of surveillance can make people behave differently even when they have done nothing wrong. This fear is reinforced by the way provocative content works on social media platforms, which are driven by views and user engagement. “This type of content — which is designed to embarrass or offend — is very likely to be rewarded by the algorithm,” said Dr Jeanrenaud.

He described filming people who are unaware as a form of exploitation and believes it can harm something deeper than individual privacy. According to Dr Jeanrenaud, privacy should not depend on whether a government, platform, tech company or its users decide that people deserve it. For him, privacy is not simply a matter of having something to hide. “It is important to have the right to privacy, independent of authorities, the state and tech companies,” he said. “But it is also about individuals abusing it. First and foremost, I would like to see a ban on the exploitation of women and girls, mainly by men, through the secret recording of them.”

Nearby Glasses, available for free and open source on Android and iOS, can’t tell a person if they’re actually being filmed. It can’t stop someone from recording them, and it can’t solve the broader issues surrounding surveillance and the exponential growth of artificial intelligence. But what it can do is give people a heads-up about the presence of smart glasses near them, so they can decide for themselves how to respond. In a world where surveillance is becoming increasingly commonplace, it gives potential victims something increasingly valuable: the ability to choose and act on their own.

Because perhaps the most worrying thing about smart glasses isn't just that they could be recording us. It's that we may never know when they're recording us.

Regarding harassment, a Meta spokesperson said: “Harassing content has no place on our platforms. We are taking strong action by removing it, taking action against the accounts behind it, and continuing to improve and develop the way we enforce our policies to stay one step ahead of anyone who violates them.”

Regarding privacy, the spokesperson added: “People use our glasses because they are truly useful — for listening to music, for real-time translation, or for hands-free calls. For those who wear them and for the people around them, trust matters. That’s why we built privacy into our AI glasses from the design stage.”

For example, each pair has a recording LED light that flashes when a photo or video is taken that you can save or share. It cannot be disabled, and if someone covers or damages the LED, the camera is disabled.” Meta has also announced that it will remotely disable cameras it believes have been tampered with.

The company has also donated 15,000 pairs of free Ray-Ban Meta glasses to Vision Ireland — enough for every blind or visually impaired adult supported by the charity.

What are Meta glasses?

Meta Glasses are smart glasses developed by technology company Meta (formerly Facebook), in partnership with clothing and accessories brand Ray-Ban. They combine the technology of a smartphone with a pair of glasses. They cost between 269 and 459 pounds.

They look like regular glasses, but they have a camera, speakers, microphones, and artificial intelligence built in. This allows users to take hands-free photos and videos, listen to music, and stream live from the device.

This material can be downloaded to other devices, such as a mobile phone, and then uploaded to various platforms and the internet.

Newer versions include Meta AI, which allows users to ask questions about what they're seeing. The glasses use the camera, microphones, and internet connection to respond.

Meta's terms of use allow the company to store, copy, and distribute videos that users upload from the glasses, depending on privacy settings.


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