Why NearLens exists
The ability to move through public spaces unrecorded is quietly eroding.
Camera-capable glasses are getting smaller, lighter, and harder to spot. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has issued public warnings about the category. In 2024, 404 Media and The New York Times documented how Harvard students paired commercially available Ray-Ban Meta glasses with facial-recognition tools to identify strangers in real-world settings without their knowledge.
Knowing a device is broadcasting nearby lets you decide what to do about your own space. The app reports presence, not proof: there is no map, no account, and no way to report anyone.
How it works
Four steps, entirely on your phone.
Your data, your rules
Zero collection.
This app does not collect, transmit, or share any information. Detection logs are stored only on your device and can be deleted at any time.
- No account or sign-up required
- No analytics, no ads, no third-party SDKs
- No backend that stores user data
- Ask NearLens and Privacy Intelligence both run on Apple's on-device model (iPhone 15 Pro or newer, Apple Intelligence enabled), no cloud fallback
- App Store privacy label: no data collected - verify before you install
Privacy Intelligence is an on-device report that summarises your detection history: which brands appeared most often, what time of day detections peak, and whether the same device showed up across multiple sessions. Everything stays on the phone. Ask NearLens lets you query that history in plain language. The answer is generated locally by the same on-device model, with no data leaving the device.
Limitations
What NearLens cannot guarantee.
Other products from the same manufacturers (VR headsets, earbuds, wireless speakers) may trigger alerts. NearLens detects Bluetooth activity consistent with smart glasses profiles; it does not guarantee that a detected device is specifically a camera-capable pair of glasses. Use your judgement.
Glasses that are not broadcasting cannot be detected. If Bluetooth is off, the device is asleep, or the wearer has paired it to another device that suppresses the advertisement, NearLens sees nothing. The app is limited to what the glasses choose to announce.
Bluetooth range is approximate and environment-dependent. In open space, advertising packets are typically detectable at 10 to 15 metres. Walls, crowds, and radio interference reduce that to 5 to 8 metres. Signal strength gives a rough distance estimate, not a direction or a precise location.
The manufacturer identifier database covers brands that have already shipped. A new product released after the last update will not produce a confirmed match. Signal pattern analysis can still surface it at lower confidence, but there is an inherent lag between a product entering the market and the database catching up.
Regulatory compliance by design
Built to meet global privacy standards.
General Data Protection Regulation - EU
BLE identifiers processed exclusively on-device, never transmitted, deletion available at any time. Satisfies data minimisation (Art. 5(1)(c)), storage limitation (Art. 5(1)(e)), and right to erasure (Art. 17).
UK General Data Protection Regulation
Same legal framework as EU GDPR, applied under the UK Data Protection Act 2018. BLE identifiers processed on-device only, never transmitted. Satisfies UK GDPR Arts. 5(1)(c), 5(1)(e), and 17 (right to erasure) via the in-app log clearing function.
EU Artificial Intelligence Act
On-device classifier produces an informational confidence score shown to the user. No biometric identification, no automated decision with legal effect. Minimal risk under the Act's risk hierarchy.
California Consumer Privacy Act / California Privacy Rights Act
No personal information collected beyond local device storage. Nothing sold or shared with any third party. Right to deletion satisfied by the in-app log clearing function.
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act - Canada
No personal information collected, used, or disclosed beyond local device storage. Purpose is identified and limited to user-initiated detection. No third-party disclosure. Right to deletion met by the in-app log clearing function.
Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados - Brazil
Satisfies purpose limitation, adequacy, and necessity under Article 6. Processing on-device at the user's explicit request. Right to deletion under Article 18 met by the in-app log function.
Personal Data Protection Act - Singapore / Thailand
No personal data transferred outside the device. Collection is purpose-limited to the user's explicit detection request. Consent obtained at first launch. Right to withdraw consent and right to deletion both met by the in-app log clearing function.
Protection of Personal Information Act - South Africa
Processing is on-device and purpose-specific (user-initiated scan only). No special personal information or biometric data collected. Data subject's right to erasure under s.24 met by the in-app log clearing function.
Australian Privacy Principles - Australia
No personal information collected or disclosed to third parties. On-device storage only, satisfying APP 3 (collection), APP 6 (use and disclosure), and APP 11 (security) by design. Deletion requests fulfilled by the in-app log clearing function.
Act on Protection of Personal Information - Japan
No personal information acquired, used, or provided to third parties. On-device processing only, exempt from third-party provision rules. Right to request deletion under Art. 34 met by the in-app log clearing function.
Credits
The people behind NearLens.
The discovery research, seven interviews with smart glasses owners across four cities, was conducted as part of a postgraduate programme in AI Applied to Design at IADE - Universidade Europeia.
