Articles

Reporting and analysis on recording, recognition, consent, Bluetooth awareness and the shared-space questions raised by wearable technology.

  1. Practical guide

    How to Tell if Someone's Smart Glasses Are Recording You

    3 min read

    The honest answer is that certainty is often unavailable. This guide explains what the indicator light does and does not prove, and what a Bluetooth scan can actually indicate.

    Two women sit in a public indoor space, with one wearing glasses, illustrating uncertainty about whether smart glasses are recording.

  2. Smart glasses and privacy

    How Smart-Glasses Privacy Changed From Recording to Recognition

    2 min read

    A smart-glasses camera can feed public-face search during an encounter, while the person in view may see only ordinary frames.

    Smart-glasses wearer in a quiet café with an unaware bystander reflected in one lens, illustrating privacy risks beyond recording.

  3. Bystander notice

    Can a Tiny Recording Light Give Bystanders Meaningful Notice?

    2 min read

    A recording indicator can warn that a camera is active, but it cannot explain what happens to the footage or what choices a bystander has.

    Smart-glasses wearer in a crowded indoor gathering surrounded by bystanders, illustrating the challenge of meaningful recording notice.

  4. Face recognition

    I-XRAY and the Moment Smart Glasses Met Face Recognition

    2 min read

    I-XRAY showed how smart glasses could be linked to public-face search, turning an ordinary encounter into an identification event.

    Woman wearing smart glasses seated beside another person in a gymnasium, illustrating questions about face recognition in everyday public spaces.

  5. Ambient audio

    Halo X and the Cost of Always-On Listening

    2 min read

    Halo X shows how an audio wearable can help its wearer while drawing nearby conversations into an uncertain recording space.

    Two people speaking in a café while a woman wearing smart glasses listens, illustrating privacy questions around always-on audio.

  6. Human review and privacy

    The Human Review in Kenya's Smart-Glasses Investigation

    2 min read

    Reports of annotators in Nairobi reviewing smart-glasses footage show how far a private moment can travel after capture.

    Woman reviewing smart-glasses footage at a workstation with camera glasses on the desk, illustrating human review and privacy risks.

  7. Product direction

    What Meta's Name Tag Discussion Says About Facial Recognition

    2 min read

    Meta's reported Name Tag work shows why public rules should precede routine facial recognition in glasses.

    Smart-glasses wearer observing another person in a library, illustrating privacy questions around facial recognition and Name Tag features.

  8. Civil liberties

    Your Glasses Should Not Know My Name

    2 min read

    The ACLU's response to wearable facial recognition draws a clear boundary. People should not be silently identified in everyday life.

    Two people standing near an apartment entrance, one carrying a green bag and the other wearing glasses, illustrating everyday privacy boundaries.

  9. Market context

    Smart Glasses Are Scaling. Privacy Needs to Scale Too.

    2 min read

    Shipment and sales figures show why bystander privacy needs attention while smart glasses are becoming ordinary.

    Woman examining smart glasses at an eyewear display, with other shoppers visible in the background, illustrating the normalization of wearable technology.

  10. Privacy by design

    Bluetooth Awareness Without Turning Bystanders Into Watchers

    2 min read

    Bluetooth detection can suggest that a compatible device is nearby, but it cannot prove recording or identify the wearer.

    People making pottery together in a shared studio, with one person checking a phone, illustrating local awareness in a communal space.

  11. Interaction design

    When the Controls Disappear, So Does the Last Visible Cue

    2 min read

    Wrist-based input makes smart glasses easier to operate and harder for bystanders to read.

    Woman using a small hand gesture while shopping in a busy grocery store, with other shoppers nearby, illustrating the visibility of wearable-device controls.

  12. Agentic systems

    When Nobody in the Room Decided to Record

    3 min read

    Consent assumes there is a person to ask. Delegating capture to an agent removes the addressee.

    Two people speaking on a wet sidewalk outside a building, with one person raising a hand, illustrating a conversation about recording and consent.