5 ways to tell if someone is recording you with smart glasses

As cool and practical as smart glasses may seem conceptually, their actual use in the real world comes with a very real concern: people are recording your private moments with smart glasses. In an age where it’s increasingly difficult to control your digital privacy, having your privacy violated in this way can be extremely frustrating, especially as brands like Meta enhance their smart glasses with features like facial recognition. While there are equally high-tech solutions to this problem, like smart glasses detection apps, if you don’t have your phone handy, the only other option is to be alert for signs of recording, like obvious camera lenses, suspicious movements, and audio cues.

While smart glasses are generally designed to be unobtrusive, many models include cues in their construction, some subtle, some overt. As nice as it is to not think about something like that, you need to consider your privacy in the age of smart technology-based surveillance, and that means keeping a keen eye out for warning signs that someone is capturing your image without your consent.

Ideally, no matter what brand of smart glasses a viewer wears, it includes privacy warning features in its design. In the same way that a traditional wearable camera has a red light indicating that it is recording, so do many smart glasses models. Big manufacturers like Ray-Bans and Oakley place small, distinct LED indicators on the front of their frames, usually in one of the corners. Ideally, this LED will be clearly illuminated whenever the glasses’ built-in camera is actively capturing still images or images.

Unfortunately, this helpful warning light isn’t obvious. Not only is it not present on all models of smart glasses, but even for those that do have them, it is extremely easy to hide it or disable the functionality. All it takes is a small sticker in the same color as the frames, and the LED is hidden from view. In short, if you see an LED on someone’s smart glasses, that’s a surefire sign that they’re recording, but not seeing it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re safe.

While you might assume that smart glasses’ cameras would record images through an obvious lens, that’s not always the case. Smart glasses use traditional camera lenses, albeit very small units placed on the front of the frame. These tiny lenses can be difficult to see from afar, but if someone is recording you directly in front, it becomes more obvious. Smart glasses’ camera lenses are most often placed in inconspicuous locations, such as the upper left and upper right corners of the frame.

If someone is wearing a particularly thick pair of glasses, watch those corners for the distinct shimmer of a lens, not to mention unusually large segments that may hide internal components like batteries. You can also observe the frames deck, as there may be a small pinhole camera placed in the center. Although reflections on the corners of frames can be mistaken for decorative rivets, a typical pair of glasses would not normally have a small hole in the center; which means it could very well be a camera.

Part of what characterizes the generally subtle design of smart glasses is that you don’t need big physical buttons or switches to operate them. Of course, these high-tech glasses can’t read your mind, so using features like video recording usually requires making a distinct movement. When the glasses detect these movements, they can take photos or start recording images. A trained hand may be able to keep these movements harmless, but if you are vigilant, you can detect them.

Common movements for recording or capturing images with smart glasses include tapping or sliding your finger on the side of the frames. It’s one thing if someone adjusts their glasses every now and then, but if it seems like they’re constantly tapping the same spot, it’s possible they’re taking pictures. When it comes to recording video, pay attention to how a person moves their head and eyes. If they seem to be deliberately moving their whole head when just moving their eyes would be easier, it might be because they’re trying to keep you in the center of their smart glasses’ lenses.

In addition to taking photos or using augmented reality, some smart glasses have built-in audio capability. The sounds made by a pair of smart glasses are subtle if you’re not the one wearing them, but if you concentrate your hearing and there isn’t a lot of ambient noise, you might be able to pick up on the fact that someone’s frames are smarter than they appear. When recording or taking photos, smart glasses typically produce a quick but distinct shutter sound, much like your smartphone camera.

This sound can also be a short beep or soft tone, usually triggered when the wearer presses a button on the mounts. If you hear the shutter sound, but don’t see any obvious cameras, it probably means there’s one hidden nearby. The same goes for commands like “Hey Meta, take a photo.” Additionally, if you hear faint audio, but don’t see anyone wearing headphones or earphones, someone might be listening to music with smart glasses. While this is not a sign that they are recording you, it is a sign that they are wearing smart glasses and therefore could be recording you.

As frustrations with covert surveillance with smart glasses grew, coders looked for other ways to identify nearby technologies beyond simple vigilance. Smart glasses detection apps for smartphones have started circulating, allowing you to detect the presence of active smart glasses nearby. Smart glasses may be getting harder to spot in public, but with the Glasses Nearby app, you can search for smart glasses nearby.

It works by identifying brands via Bluetooth IDs assigned to manufacturers. This scan runs passively, sending you notifications whenever likely smart glasses are detected within your range. Keep in mind that this app is not an absolute solution to avoiding unwanted recordings with smart glasses; The app’s creator notes that it can produce false positives and that trying to harass anyone you think is wearing smart glasses could get you in trouble. Instead, it’s best to use the app in conjunction with other monitoring techniques, so you know what to watch out for.