Meta smart glasses exposed as potential privacy threat in a startling demo

Two Harvard students showcased the potential risks associated with smart glasses, particularly Meta’s recent model, by demonstrating how they used the glasses and a program they created to unmask individuals’ identities.

The system, dubbed I-XRAY, works by leveraging the smart glasses' ability to live stream video to Instagram, while a computer program monitors that stream to identify faces. Using AI, the software matches these images against public databases to pull up personal information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, and even details about relatives. This information is then relayed back through a mobile app.

In their demo video, AnhPhu Nguyen and his collaborator, Caine Ardayfio, identified several classmates in real-time, revealing their addresses and relatives' names. More alarmingly, they engaged with complete strangers on public transportation, feigning familiarity based on information obtained through the technology.

Privacy concerns

The implications of such a system are significant. The two students effectively demonstrated how you can be identified at a simple glance, raising big concerns about privacy and security. It’s a very powerful tool in the social engineering arsenal. How well the Meta glasses blend in makes this even more dangerous.

In a statement regarding their project, Nguyen and Ardayfio clarified, “The purpose of building this tool is not for misuse, and we are not releasing it.” They emphasized that their goal is to raise awareness that this dystopian reality is not a distant future but a current possibility with existing technologies. They noted that I-XRAY is particularly unique due to the role of large language models (LLMs) that enable it to work autonomously, linking names and photos from extensive data sources.

Meta also acknowledges the privacy concerns in its privacy policy, even urging users to “respect people’s preferences” and to use clear gestures or voice controls when capturing video, livestreaming, or taking photos. But, is that enough to prevent people from doing it? Your guess is as good as mine.