{"id":2607,"date":"2014-04-24T09:30:03","date_gmt":"2014-04-24T13:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com\/blog\/?p=2607"},"modified":"2026-03-31T09:14:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:14:31","slug":"watch-your-privacy-google-glass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/watch-your-privacy-google-glass\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch Your Privacy app reveals Big Brother\u2019s surveillance cameras"},"content":{"rendered":"

We might rationalize that mass surveillance is for the greater good, but, at the same time, a network of surveillance cameras put in place to spot crimes we didn’t commit can feel invasive. If you own Google Glass, though, you can do something about it.<\/p>\n

A third party Google Glass app, Watch Your Privacy, allows you to see a real-time visualization<\/a> of what security cameras are looking at in your field of vision. The app allows you to set your own definition of a\u00a0red unsafe zone<\/a>\u00a0and green safe zone. (Some may deem areas under surveillance safe, while others can have the opposite reaction.)<\/p>\n

\"Watch

Animated GIF by prosthetic knowledge<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

How does it work?<\/h3>\n

Developed by Dutch artist Sander Veenhof, the app uses augmented reality software and open data<\/a> about security cameras to inform you of nearby surveillance. \u201cThe app makes use of a subset of the Open Street Map data, using the export and mapping structure of\u00a0OSMcamera,\u201d says<\/a> Sander.<\/p>\n

When you download the app, it sends your GPS coordinates to fellow app users<\/a>.\u00a0That way, you can pinpoint their locations too, in case you want to meet them or avoid them. “The ‘Glasshole’ data is obtained by instantly registering and updating the latitude\/longitude coordinates of each Google Glass user using this app,\u201d continues<\/a> Sander.<\/p>\n

The app marks both cameras and users with triangular warning signs<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0how far they are from you and their coordinates. It also indicates the approximate area covered by the camera. Watch Your Privacy uses red, green, and yellow<\/a> to spotlight areas cameras could be watching, outing them dramatically.<\/p>\n

How accurate is the app?<\/h3>\n

The app might not be entirely accurate<\/a>. It showed just one surveillance camera in New York City, which can\u2019t possibly be the case. That could be caused by limits on the user-generated\u00a0content\u00a0available to the app.<\/p>\n

Still, using Google Glass, which itself has been accused of violating privacy, to out other privacy violators, is a deliciously ironic twist. “Once a person has been identified to a stranger, he or she cannot be un-identified after the fact,” says the Federal Trade Commission<\/a>.\u00a0“A consumer\u2019s face is a persistent identifier that cannot be changed in the way that a consumer could get a new credit card number or delete a tracking cookie.”<\/p>\n

As tracking technology becomes more sophisticated and anti-tracking technology develops to keep up, it remains to be seen which of the two will win the race.<\/p>\n

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