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ZuckOff Is a Free App That Sees Meta Glasses Before They See You

wired.com17 points1 comments
Screenshot of ZuckOff Is a Free App That Sees Meta Glasses Before They See You

ZuckOff is a free mobile app created by 30-year-old Polish developer Pawel Szydlowski that detects nearby smart glasses by scanning Bluetooth signals and matching device identifiers to a digital fingerprint database. Since its August launch it has logged roughly 5,000 downloads on Apple’s App Store and about 1,000 on Google Play. The detection covers models such as Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta, and Snap Spectacles by recognizing manufacturer and unique IDs. The app responds to growing privacy concerns after investigations found people filmed in public without consent and reports that recording indicator lights on some glasses can be disabled; Meta sold about 7 million smart-glass pairs in 2025 and has said it will push an update to detect physically tampered LEDs.

ZuckOff provides only proximity alerts based on signal strength and cannot tell whether a pair of glasses is actively recording or who is wearing them, but it converts an invisible surveillance risk into actionable awareness. Its basic scan is free; a ZuckOff Pro tier costs $25 and adds history logging, CSV export, a homescreen widget, and continuous background monitoring with alerts. Because the app merely listens to broadcast signals rather than interfering with devices, it is difficult for manufacturers to force its removal, leaving it as a stopgap privacy tool pending stronger legal protections.

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