Block Facial Recognition With New Glasses That Ease Privacy Concerns

New Glasses Block Facial Recognition

If you're starting to see people wear Google Glass in your neighborhood and you're nervous about the privacy implications of the new technology, Japan's National Institute of Informatics might have just the thing for you.

The institute has created a pair of glasses that are built to block computerized facial recognition. The new glasses, called "Google Glass anti-glasses" by gadget blog Pocket-link, obscure people's facial features when seen on any cameras using infrared technology.

The secret? The chunky glasses are lined with 11 near-infrared LEDs, which remain invisible to the human eye but appear bright and disruptive to the infrared camera.

NII associate professor Isao Echizen and professor Seiichi Gohshi of Kogakuin University created the glasses, which are still in prototype. Several DIYers have used the same LED-based technology to make headgear that blocks facial recognition, even posting instructions online.

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