GoKawiilApp 'Zuckoff' Alerts Users to Nearby Meta Smart Glasses Amid Privacy Backlash
Polish developer Pawel Szydlowski launched an iPhone app called Zuckoff that uses Bluetooth signals to detect and estimate the distance of Meta's AI smart glasses, which have faced criticism for enabling covert recording. The app has attracted about 5,000 users and interest from EU regulators, while separately Meta is reportedly developing a camera-free version of its glasses and rolling out paid subscription tiers for its social apps to offset heavy losses at its Reality Labs division.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The rise of a dedicated detection app signals growing public unease over wearable recording devices and the erosion of consent in public spaces, pressuring hardware makers to rethink design. Meta's simultaneous moves—considering a camera-free glasses model and introducing subscriptions—show the company balancing privacy backlash against the need to fund its costly AI ambitions.
- Zuckoff detects Bluetooth signals from Meta smart glasses to warn users of nearby recording devices.
- EU regulators have reached out to the app's creator amid rising privacy concerns.
- Meta is exploring a camera-free glasses version and new subscriptions to offset Reality Labs' financial losses.
Source: tech.slashdot.org — Posted, 2026-09-17
Published there as: “'Zuckoff' App Detects Meta Smartglasses, as Meta Plans Camera-Free Version, Loses Money, and Offers Social Media Subscriptions”
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