Two
Harvard
students
have
created
an
eerie
demo
of
how
smart
glasses
can
use
facial
recognition
tech
to
instantly
dox
people’s
identities,
phone
numbers,
and
addresses.
The
most
unsettling
part
is
the
demo
uses
current,
widely
available
technology
like
the
Ray-Ban
Meta
smart
glasses
and
public
databases.
AnhPhu
Nguyen,
one
of
the
two
students,
posted
a
video
showcasing
the
tech
in
action
that
was
then
picked
up
by
404
Media.
Dubbed
I-XRAY,
the
tech
works
by
using
the
Meta
smart
glasses’
ability
to
livestream
video
to
Instagram.
A
computer
program
then
monitors
that
stream
and
uses
AI
to
identify
faces.
Those
photos
are
then
fed
into
public
databases
to
find
names,
addresses,
phone
numbers,
and
even
relatives.
That
information
is
then
fed
back
through
a
phone
app.
In
the
demo,
you
can
see
Nguyen
and
Caine
Ardayfio,
the
other
student
behind
the
project,
use
the
glasses
to
identify
several
classmates,
their
addresses,
and
names
of
relatives
in
real
time.
Perhaps
more
chilling,
Nguyen
and
Ardayfio
are
also
shown
chatting
up
complete
strangers
on
public
transit,
pretending
as
if
they
know
them
based
on
information
gleaned
from
the
tech.
Facial
recognition
tech
has
been
frighteningly
accurate
for
a
while
now,
and
I-XRAY
is
largely
just
chaining
together
a
bunch
of
existing
technologies.
It
relies
in
part
on
PimEyes,
which
The
New
York
Times
described
in
2022
as
an
“alarmingly
accurate”
face
search
engine
that
“anyone
can
use.”
Concerns
around
this
tech
have
been
heightened
since
it
came
out
that
Clearview
AI
was
using
facial
recognition
to
help
law
enforcement.
What’s
new
about
Nguyen
and
Ardayfio’s
demo
is
how
the
tech
is
being
paired
with
a
consumer
gadget
that
is
discreet
and
easy
to
access.
“The
purpose
of
building
this
tool
is
not
for
misuse,
and
we
are
not
releasing
it,”
Nguyen
and
Ardafiyo
write
in
a
document
explaining
the
project.
Instead,
the
students
say
their
goal
is
to
raise
awareness
that
all
this
isn’t
some
dystopian
future
—
it’s
all
possible
now
with
existing
technology.
In
particular,
they
point
out
that
I-XRAY
is
unique
because
large
language
models
(LLMs)
enable
it
to
work
automatically,
drawing
relationships
between
names
and
photos
from
vast
data
sources.
As
you
can
see
from
this
photo,
the
privacy
light
can
be
very
hard
to
see
in
outdoor
lighting.
Even
at
night.Photo
by
Amelia
Holowaty
Krales
/
The
Verge
Privacy
has
always
been
a
major
concern
with
smart
glasses.
Google
Glass
originally
failed
due
in
part
to
public
backlash
at
being
recorded
without
consent
in
public
spaces.
However,
it’s
also
true
that
in
the
decade
since,
people
have
become
more
accustomed
to
being
filmed
due
to
the
rise
of
smartphones,
vloggers,
and
TikTok.
What’s
unsettling
about
modern
smart
glasses,
however,
is
that
they
don’t
stand
out
quite
as
much
as
Google
Glass
did.
The
Ray-Ban
Meta
glasses
used
in
this
demo
look
just
like
any
other
pair
of
Ray-Bans.
While
that’s
critical
for
smart
glasses
adoption,
it
also
makes
it
harder
for
people
to
clock
when
someone
might
be
wearing
a
camera
on
their
face.
The
Meta
glasses
do
include
a
privacy
light
that
automatically
turns
on
whenever
you’re
recording
video.
However,
in
our
testing,
we
found
that
the
light
is
hard
to
notice
when
you’re
outside
in
bright
lighting
and
that
people
often
don’t
notice
when
you’re
filming
—
especially
in
crowded,
public
spaces.
For
its
part,
Meta
cautions
users
against
being
glassholes
in
its
privacy
policy
for
the
Ray-Bans.
It
urges
users
to
“respect
people’s
preferences”
and
to
clearly
gesture
or
use
voice
controls
when
capturing
video,
livestreaming,
or
taking
photos.
However,
the
reality
is
people
may
also
choose
not
to
follow
wearable
etiquette,
regardless
of
what
Meta
says.
The
Verge
reached
out
for
comment.
Meta
responded
to
our
email
by
block
quoting
its
terms
of
service,
which
reiterate
the
same
guidance.
This
is
a
sobering
reminder
of
how
smart
glasses
can
be
abused,
but
there
are
some
steps
people
can
take
to
protect
themselves.
In
their
document,
Nguyen
and
Ardafiyo
list
reverse
face
search
and
people
search
databases
that
allow
you
to
opt
out.
Even
so,
keep
in
mind
it’s
nigh
impossible
to
fully
delete
your
online
presence
—
you
can
only
make
your
information
less
available.
Update,
October
2nd:
Added
response
from
Meta.
(Originally posted by Victoria Song)
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