How to ID Strangers in seconds using Rayban | Meta Smart Glasses (warning: nerd alert)

Welcome to the future of creepy !

Disclaimer: This guide is for educational purposes only. If you’re planning on using tech to invade someone's privacy or figure out where your Tinder date actually lives, STOP. It’s creepy, illegal, and will probably land you on an episode of Dateline.

Hey Folks ! I have found another use for my Rayban | Meta AI, and the RayNeo X2 AI|AR glasses ! I can now ID people in seconds with em.

I thought I'd dedicate an article about these two people who did just that, and it also write a little how to, so you can do it yourself as I did, Halloween kinda creepy sh*t.

So, welcome people, to the age where you can spot a stranger on a subway, flash your smart glasses, and know where they live before the next stop.

Thanks to some enterprising Harvard students (AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio, who are now forever in the MIT hall of shame), you too can now accidentally (or intentionally) discover someone’s deepest secrets in seconds, while standing next to them.

Why not make your stalker fantasy a reality, right?

Before we start!

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The setup

These two tech wizards connected Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses to PimEyes, that face-search engine no one asked for (you're welcome for the link!) and BOOM!, the people’s names, addresses, and phone numbers just started appearing.

It’s like magic! Horrifying, dystopian magic.

But worry not, because it was all in the name of “raising awareness” for privacy concerns.

Sure, guys, sure.

The best way to fight against privacy violations is to show exactly how it’s done. Nothing says “awareness” like terrifying commuters with your tech.

Nguyen and Ardayfio’s project call it I-XRAY, because that’s what they did, is based on a simple but dangerous formula:

1. Glasses that look “almost” like normal glasses (except for the tiny hidden cameras).
2. A face search engine that can ID anyone with an internet presence.
3. An AI model that collects and cross-references data from various online databases, compiles it, and then packages it neatly for you (like some disturbing Amazon Prime).

According to the students’ Google doc, this is the ultimate "hands-free" way to get someone's personal details in a jiffy. Why on earth would you spend hours stalking someone on social media when your glasses can do it for you in five seconds flat?

Real-life horror stories from their “demo”

The two to-be researchers walked into subway stations and tested out their gear on random strangers.

Test subjects were apparently thrilled...and by thrilled, I mean they freaked out when told their identity was scooped up in mere seconds.

No need to introduce yourself anymore, just buy some random tech to do it for you!

The two even went sofar as to cover up the little LED light on the glasses that tells you when they are recording. Nothing says “don’t be suspicious” like filming someone without their knowledge.

Little side-step.. do you know why our camera's make a "photograpy snap-shot" sound? Answers in the comments please, if you dare.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to pretend you know someone’s entire life story just by looking at them, welcome to your toolkit. Oh, and they decided not to release the code, so the rest of us can’t partake in this privacy invasion party.

Pity, right?

Nah, bogus schmoguz...

I have tried it myself and it is dog gone easy. So this piece includes some code.

Of course, only for research purposes.

Why this matters

Privacy violations

Meh.

Thas for wusses

This is next-level stuff.

The next time someone claims to “know you”, they are just be scanning your face with their $300 Ray-Bans. Or even better, using this as the ultimate dating app hack.

Because ha ! Why swipe right when you can just scan the whole room and know everyone’s dating history?

The original media and How-To: For the curious (or just outright paranoid), here's their original Google document, where they spill the beans on how they built I-XRAY. And, of course, the link to their demo video where they publicly reveal how they pulled this off.

Prepare to be terrified.

For the curious: Code down below.... ??

So here it is. The creeper’s handbook on how to connect your Meta glasses to PimEyes

Alright, let’s say you’re like me... that guy, too curious for your own good, and you want to connect your Meta glasses to PimEyes.

Here’s how you could do it.

If you were that kind of person, which you and I are not.

Obviously.

Step 1: grab your Ray-Bans

First off, you need a pair of Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses. They look normal (unlike the RayNeo X2), which is kinda key for blending in with regular humans. Meta’s goal here was clearly to create the tech equivalent of a "Don’t mind me, I’m just a regular person" device.

Aaaaandddd they nailed it.

Now you won't have to read this article: Have I become a glasshole?

Step 2: the tools of the trade

You will need a PimEyes account with API access, because what’s a little internet stalking without programmatic access.

Oh, and you’ll also need some Python skills.

If you don’t know Python, Google it (but maybe skip searching for “how to ID strangers”).

But do not worry, I have got you covered....

All the code is in this blog. So the only thang you have to download is VSCode (Code editor)

Next, you’ll also want to install a couple of handy Python modules:

• requests – for sending your face search requests.
• opencv-python and Pillow – for image manipulation (who doesn’t love some DIY image processing?).

Install them using this command, so you can feel like a hacker:

Open Command Prompt on Windows (or some similar shit on your Mac) and copy this line....

pip install requests Pillow opencv-python        

And no, it won't blow a fuse, nor install a virus. It's totally safe.

Unless you are a nitwit.

And then I'd suggest you stay away from this kinda nerdy stuff you won't be able to debug when the shit hits the fan.

Step 3: snatch faces with your glasses

No, no, no you dirty minds, you !

Do not turn around those two words ! (for those who understand this pun, clap in the comments with a hand, and receive some shit, whatever I got lying around).

Now serious....

Back to business: Your Meta Ray-Bans have a built-in camera. Use them to snap photos of your “target”.....er, I mean, totally random stranger.

Don’t have the SDK for the Rayban?

No worries! And no need to as well..

Just pair your glasses with the Facebook View App and set it to automatically store photos.

But why stop there? Write a little Python script to check for new photos and transfer them to your computer, because who wants to manually move files anymore?

Here’s a fun snippet of Python thingy again...just open up VS code, copy this code, save it, and hit the run button

??

import os
import time
import shutil

source_directory = "/path/to/phone/facebook_view_images/"
destination_directory = "/path/to/processing/images/"

def check_for_new_images():
    files = os.listdir(source_directory)
    for file in files:
        if file.endswith(".jpg"):
            shutil.move(os.path.join(source_directory, file), destination_directory)
            print(f"Moved: {file}")

check_for_new_images()
        

Now you can check every 10 seconds for fresh photos.

Who does not love efficiency!

Step 4: Send them to PimEyes (face search magic)

Next, you will want to upload your new pics to PimEyes to see all those juicy details of your ummm.. friend. Use their API to search the face and get links to where this person's photo is online.

Here's a basic Python script for sending an image to PimEyes:

import requests

PIMEYES_API_KEY = 'your_pimeyes_api_key'
PIMEYES_SEARCH_URL = 'https://api.pimeyes.com/search/face'

def search_face(image_path):
    with open(image_path, 'rb') as img_file:
        img_data = img_file.read()

    response = requests.post(
        PIMEYES_SEARCH_URL,
        headers={'Authorization': f'Bearer {PIMEYES_API_KEY}', 'Content-Type': 'application/octet-stream'},
        data=img_data
    )
    
    if response.status_code == 200:
        return response.json()
    else:
        print(f"Error: {response.status_code} - {response.text}")
        return None

image_path = 'path/to/your/image.jpg'
result = search_face(image_path)
print(result)
        

And voilà! You now have access to everything that search engine has on the poor soul who happened to be in your line of sight.

Well done, detective.

Or should I say, jeepers creepers?

Step 5: Automate everything (because, why not?)

Here’s the part where you go full geek on the world around you.

Make the whole thing automatic, because manually uploading images is so 1996.

Combine the script that checks for new images with your face search script, and let the magic happen in real time.

import os
import requests
import time

source_directory = "/path/to/phone/facebook_view_images/"
PIMEYES_API_KEY = 'your_pimeyes_api_key'
PIMEYES_SEARCH_URL = 'https://api.pimeyes.com/search/face'

def check_for_new_images():
    files = os.listdir(source_directory)
    for file in files:
        if file.endswith(".jpg"):
            return os.path.join(source_directory, file)
    return None

def search_face(image_path):
    with open(image_path, 'rb') as img_file:
        img_data = img_file.read()

    response = requests.post(
        PIMEYES_SEARCH_URL,
        headers={'Authorization': f'Bearer {PIMEYES_API_KEY}', 'Content-Type': 'application/octet-stream'},
        data=img_data
    )
    
    if response.status_code == 200:
        return response.json()
    else:
        print(f"Error: {response.status_code} - {response.text}")
        return None

def main():
    while True:
        new_image = check_for_new_images()
        if new_image:
            result = search_face(new_image)
            if result:
                print(result)
        time.sleep(10)

main()
        

Congrats!

You have officially built a system that allows you to ID strangers in real time.

If this wasn’t illegal (and terrifying), it would almost be impressive.

Protect yourself from this madness

Now I get the chance to show that I care about the world, and that I am not all Pinky and the Brain.....

To avoid being the victim of someone else's I-XRAY smart glasses, opt out of PimEyes and similar databases.

It’s pretty simple.

Or just wear a mask everywhere, forever.

Your call.

In any case, you now have a creepy, quick, and automated stranger danger identification tool at your fingertips.

Because, of course, that's exactly the future we wanted.

Signing-off Marco

Well, that's a wrap for today. Tomorrow, I'll have a fresh episode of TechTonic Shifts for you. If you enjoy my writing and want to support my work, feel free to buy me a coffee ??

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