Meta smart glasses can be used to secretly identify people's faces

Two Harvard students have proven that Meta's smart glasses can be used to discreetly find people's identities using Instagram and AI.

Meta smart glasses can be used to secretly identify people's faces
Comment IconFacebook IconX IconReddit Icon
Tech and Science Editor
Published
1 minute & 15 seconds read time

Meta's smart glasses have been converted into a facial recognition device that enables the user to identify random people in real time.

The conversion of Meta's smart glasses into a facial recognition device came from two Harvard students who called the glasses I-XRAY. Here's how it works. The students took advantage of the smart glasses livestreaming directly to Instagram feature and combined that with an AI program that monitors the video live stream to identify any faces within the video. Images of the faces are then captured and fed into public databases, which result in phone numbers, names, addresses, and more personal information being fed back to the wearer of the glasses through a phone app.

AnhPhu Nguyen posted the above video detailing the process of creating the glasses, and within the video, you can see them being used to identify classmates and, perhaps more shockingly, strangers in public, which the students pretended to know based on the information the device was able to obtain on the individual. For those concerned about the potential impact of releasing such a product to the market, fear not, as the students behind the project said the glasses were created to raise awareness about potential privacy issues with smart glasses.

Meta smart glasses can be used to secretly identify people's faces 16165165

"Initially started as a side project, I-XRAY quickly highlighted significant privacy concerns. The purpose of building this tool is not for misuse, and we are not releasing it. Our goal is to demonstrate the current capabilities of smart glasses, face search engines, LLMs, and public databases, raising awareness that extracting someone's home address and other personal details from just their face on the street is possible today," explained the students

Photo of the Microsoft Hololens 2
Best Deals: Microsoft Hololens 2
Country flag Today 7 days ago 30 days ago
$3500 USD -
Buy
$3500 USD -
Buy
$3500 USD -
Buy
$3500 USD -
Buy
* Prices last scanned on 2/7/2025 at 3:10 pm CST - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission from any sales.

Tech and Science Editor

Email IconX IconLinkedIn Icon

Jak joined the TweakTown team in 2017 and has since reviewed 100s of new tech products and kept us informed daily on the latest science, space, and artificial intelligence news. Jak's love for science, space, and technology, and, more specifically, PC gaming, began at 10 years old. It was the day his dad showed him how to play Age of Empires on an old Compaq PC. Ever since that day, Jak fell in love with games and the progression of the technology industry in all its forms.

Related Topics

Newsletter Subscription