By asahifile 
META SMART GLASSES CAN BE USED TO DOX ANYONE IN SECONDS, STUDY FINDS
Linking Meta smart glasses to a face search engine can identify strangers in an instant.
By Ashley Belanger – Oct 2, 2024
Two Harvard students have demonstrated a startling capability that merges Meta smart glasses with facial recognition technology. They reveal that it is feasible to use these smart glasses to “reveal anyone’s personal details” such as names, addresses, and phone numbers, purely by glancing at them.
In a detailed Google document, AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio described their method of linking Meta Ray-Ban glasses to a facial recognition tool named PimEyes, which scours billions of faces. By utilizing a large language model (LLM), they synthesized data rapidly, enabling the possibility to dox individuals or acquire sensitive information in mere seconds.
Nguyen remarked that their project aimed to showcase the significant privacy concerns that emerge from such technology’s advancement. The students creatively modified the Meta Ray-Ban glasses to create a prototype named I-XRAY, which they used in real-world tests at a subway station on unsuspecting individuals.
Their project garnered attention, especially when they noted how easily they could identify test subjects, despite their efforts to mask the light indicator that activates during recording.
The students emphasized the ethical implications of their technology, choosing not to release the code used to prevent misuse. They also called for individuals to opt-out of invasive search engines to safeguard their privacy, suggesting a practical approach for others to remove their data from reverse face search platforms like PimEyes.
The students’ experiment echoes a profound warning about the future of privacy in an era where technology rapidly evolves, potentially placing individuals’ personal data at risk without their consent.
Despite the demonstrated risks, neither Meta nor PimEyes acknowledged the scale of the privacy concerns, with Meta asserting that similar risks are present with standard images of individuals, while PimEyes stated it does not directly identify people but rather links to their photos.
In the context of the ongoing discussion around privacy rights, especially with regards to facial recognition technology, Nguyen and Ardayfio’s demonstration serves as a pertinent reminder of the potential dangers that accompany advancements in AI and surveillance technologies.
As conversations about privacy and ethics continue to unfold, the alarming capabilities of technologies like I-XRAY underscore the need for regulatory frameworks that protect individuals in this changing landscape.
This article highlights the ethical and privacy concerns surrounding advancing technology, echoing similar discussions happening across various sectors. The innovative yet troubling demonstration raises vital questions about consent, privacy rights, and the implications of accessibility to such invasive tools in everyday life.