ZuckOff is a free app that sees Meta glasses before they see you

ZuckOff is a free app that sees Meta glasses before they see you wired.me

You can't always tell if someone is recording you with their smart glasses – but your phone can help.

400 points•choult•10 days ago•351 comments•

#app #glasses #zuckoff #x2f #free #meta #free app #sees meta

351 comments

I... don't know how I feel about this. I mean, the concept, sure, good idea. Is it reliable? Perhaps. But... I get a "buy merch" popup the moment I open the page, and there seems to be a pro option for what seems to be a very much LLM-aided app? ...IDK, rubs off a bit wrong IMO. Just my personal opinion.

hallway_monitor10 days ago

The nearby glasses app linked in this thread seems to be a lovingly hand coded tool to detect Meta glasses.

brettgo110 days ago

Are you saying you don't want to show off a "Zuck Off" bucket cap?

josh_carterPDX9 days ago

If it works the way it says it does, I'd be happy to buy merch as a way to support the team behind this!

aogaili10 days ago

so what if it is "very much LLM-aided app"?

We are going to have the organic label soon on apps with this mindset..AI assisted development is evolving by the day and at the rate most apps will be built that way..

n4r910 days ago

I'd love a label like that which tells me when an app has had thought put into it

bwnkl10 days ago

I like the idea of this type of merch that normalizes anti big tech sentiment. But I personally would also opt for something more dramatic, possibly involving a guillotine...on the t shirt I mean

joenot44310 days ago

I think that'd be a pretty weird thing to wear, personally.

vitorfblima10 days ago

Except any "solution" that involves AI is actually a win for big tech.

rob7410 days ago

Are you alluding to this t-shirt: https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th/id/OIP.WxWdam38N7Uxmwqa5dFTRQHaJ... ?

...which refers to the song https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_Plans_for_Nigel; the most well-known person called Nigel in the UK currently being https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Farage .

phyzome10 days ago

Existing, probably less sketchy app: https://github.com/yjeanrenaud/yj_nearbyglasses (as linked in the other thread)

flexagoon10 days ago

Not sure why you'd use this sketchy vibecoded proprietary app over the same thing that's open source and existed for a while

https://github.com/yjeanrenaud/yj_nearbyglasses

mcdonje10 days ago

According to the android app store, Nearby Glasses doesn't collect any data, while ZuckOff collects app activity.

Why would I want a bluetooth scanner to phone home? Seems untrustworthy. Nearby Glasses wins from a data safety perspective.

tadfisher9 days ago

Huh, I don't see that in the permissions list. I do see:

    - run foreground service with the type "connectedDevice"
    - discover and pair nearby Bluetooth devices
    - run foreground service
    - control vibration
    - Google Play billing service
    - run at startup
    - Google Play license check
    - have full network access
    - view network connections
    - ask to ignore battery optimizations
    - prevent phone from sleeping
    - connect to paired Bluetooth devices
    - show notifications

I also see "In-app purchases" for "$9.99 - $24.99 per item", which is more of a turnoff for me personally.

grimgrin10 days ago

"even worse", I searched "nearby glasses" on app store, and it's 2nd, under the ad sponsored "ZuckOff"

and so I leave this comment as off topic, but, is it pretty easy to get your new app to appear in that ad slot, above the main contender?

jacquesm9 days ago

Google has been doing this sleazy practice since forever, and yes, they even promote 'competitor campaign articles' through Google search, just google 'google competitor campaign' and you'll get articles like this:

https://www.interteammarketing.com/blog/how-to-target-compet...

lynndotpy10 days ago

Yep, exact same experience here. ZuckOff is paying to rank above NearbyGlasses.

I think these concerns are on topic, given the larger concern is about how bad actors can wield technology for profitable surveillance.

CryptoBanker10 days ago

Nearby Glasses is also free on the iOS App Store while ZuckOff contains in-app purchases

Trasmatta10 days ago

I love how even all the copy on the site is clearly AI generated. We're starting to completely lose even our ability to write a single paragraph of descriptive text.

pocksuppet10 days ago

Because it works. This is at the top of Hacker News, and Nearby Glasses isn't.

cute_boi10 days ago

Vibecoders don't even bother to use google. They don't have a clue that there might be already better solution.

RoryH10 days ago

LOL, in another generation or less it couold be:

____coders don't even bother to vibe-code, they don't have a clue that there might be a better solution /s

tuzemec10 days ago

Dunno why I remembered "The Quantum Thief" by Hannu Rajaniemi. Basically, you had fine-grained control over what others perceived of you. Your friends can see you completely, while strangers can only see a blur.

It was an amazing book.

jan_m_savage10 days ago

Thanks for the book recom.

BTW, I will also recommend 'a hero of our time' by Lermontov. In it, you will get an updated view of what the meaning of 'friends' will be. :)

EDIT: since this is getting upvotes, I will also mention that Lermontov is a descendant of the Learmonts, who were British folk.

Also, the book is small but it's jampacked with a lot of wisdom--street and abstract both-- and presented using a language that shines with poetry, it shines even through translation (Penguin Classics trans. is best).

ColinWright10 days ago

I know Hannu, and he tells an interesting story about getting his first book published. I should write it up sometime ... in my Copious Free Time ...

This comment box is too small to contain the story.

* The Quantum Thief

* The Fractal Prince

* The Causal Angel

Actually, most of the story is on his WikiPedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannu_Rajaniemi

shantnutiwari10 days ago

The 1st 2 were great but I didnt like the 3rd one. Its like the author was in a hurry to finish the book and just started killing characters to make his wordcount.

The 1st 2 are independent, I recommened people stop after 2nd book

TeMPOraL10 days ago

Makes me think of a Black Mirror episode where similar technology ends up with unlucky/unwanted people becoming inaudible blurs in perception of everyone.

As digital dystopias go, this is one of the worst I've seen; the episode ending with this happening to the protagonist shook me to the core.

treszkai10 days ago

uhm, spoiler alert?

cavoirom10 days ago

There was a Black Mirror episode called White Christmas with similar concept.

rafram10 days ago

> Shows the evidence behind every flag, so you can disagree with it

> Logs every Bluetooth device it hears, glasses or not

How much AGI is required before LLMs stop putting totally irrelevant technical details into marketing copy?

Trasmatta10 days ago

I also like:

> Nothing leaves your phone and there is no account.

This is good to know, but it's the exact type of thing Claude is obsessed with putting everywhere once you tell it NOT to do something. For example, if I tell it to commit but never push changes to GitHub, it can't help but leave "Changes committed; nothing was pushed." to EVERY SINGLE MESSAGE. The model just can't help but report back about everything it's NOT doing, and it drives me crazy.

phoghed10 days ago

I like those kinds of updates (as long as they are accurate of course)

What’s annoying is the stuff it decides to put into user facing copy, details that they’d never give a shit about, calling everything real, etc

cristoperb9 days ago

I don't mind if models do that but I don't understand why a human doesn't take 2 minutes to proof and re-word/delete them

edot10 days ago

I feel as though it’s inherent in the models, as part of “alignment” or whatever. I’ve noticed whenever having an LLM help with data analysis, especially Claude, it just can’t help itself from putting caveats and guides and documentation inline or in footers.

soco10 days ago

And if you correct it, it will mention "a previous version said..."

Read the full thread on Hacker News →

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