HardwareHarvard students make utterly dystopic smart glasses that can instantly dox anyone they seeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
HardwareHarvard students make utterly dystopic smart glasses that can instantly dox anyone they seeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
My father was fond of telling me, “On the internet, no one knows you’re a dog.” Unfortunately, dear old Dad, times have moved on a bit since the era of online anonymity; a sufficiently motivated individual can easily uncover A) you’re not in fact a hound, B) what may be your most likely route for walkies, and C) so much more besides.
Two Harvard students, Caine Ardayfio and AnhPhu Nguyen, havebuilt a project called I-XRAY(viaInteresting Engineering) that demonstrates just how terrifyingly easy it is to harness available technology to dig up the personal information of any stranger you could clap eyes upon.
Meta themselves have already been noodling on integrating AI into their smart glassesso it’s a small comfort that, like that internal dev kit, I-XRAY will never be widely released to the already privacy starved public.
Ardayfio and Nguyen haven’t shared exactlyhowthey made I-XRAY beyond broadly detailing the steps involved. That said, besides the custom-built phone app Ardayfio and Nguyen created specifically for the project, many of the composite elements are already out there. The pair explain the motivation behind the project in their dossier, writing, “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.”
Are we ready for a world where our data is exposed at a glance? @CaineArdayfio and I offer an answer to protect yourself here:https://t.co/LhxModhDpk pic.twitter.com/Oo35TxBNtDSeptember 30, 2024
Are we ready for a world where our data is exposed at a glance? @CaineArdayfio and I offer an answer to protect yourself here:https://t.co/LhxModhDpk pic.twitter.com/Oo35TxBNtDSeptember 30, 2024
Thankfully, the pair’s dossier also details how to remove your information from the databases their project draws personal details from. Helpful links to PimEyes and similar services' opt-out pages are collated together, but the whole project has me considering more drastic action.
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Just to be safe, I’m contemplating either getting really into anti-surveillance makeup or donning a rubber horse head mask at all times. What do you reckon?
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Best CPU for gaming: Top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game first.
Best CPU for gaming: Top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game first.
Best CPU for gaming: Top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game first.
Best CPU for gaming: Top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game first.
Best CPU for gaming: Top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game first.
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