Two Harvard students have demonstrated how Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses can be modified to dox individuals in public by using facial recognition software. Their project, designed to raise awareness about privacy risks, has sparked concerns over the growing potential for wearable technology to invade personal privacy.
AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio, both students at Harvard University, created a tool called “I-XRAY,” which integrates facial recognition software PimEyes with Meta’s smart glasses to publicly identify individuals.
By simply looking at a person, the glasses can retrieve personal details such as names, addresses, and phone numbers from online databases.
The project shows how easily such technology could be used for malicious purposes, such as stalking or harassment, underscoring the urgent need for privacy regulations.
Their experiment, which included a test in a crowded subway station, illustrated the potential misuse of facial recognition tools paired with inconspicuous smart glasses.
The students, who have no plans to release their code, stress that this is a wake-up call for lawmakers to take action before such technology is widely abused.
Nguyen and Ardayfio’s findings add to the ongoing debate over the balance between technological advancements and privacy, as wearable devices gain popularity but also pose significant risks.
