For the privacy-conscious: An app that can jam Google Glass' WiFi

Here's something for the privacy-conscious who are wary of Google Glass' secret recording capabilities - an app to jam the wearable computing device's WiFi access.

 

Berlin-based artist Julian Oliver created the program "Glasshole.sh" to detect any Glass device and block it from accessing a WiFi network, a report on Wired.com said.

 

"When it detects Glass, it uses the program Aircrack-NG to impersonate the network and send a 'deauthorization' command, cutting the headset’s Wi-Fi connection. It can also emit a beep to signal the Glass-wearer’s presence to anyone nearby," Wired.com reported.

 

The program can be installed on a Raspberry Pi or Beaglebone mini-computer and be plugged into a USB network antenna.

 

Oliver was quoted in the report as saying he found a string of code in the MAC addresses of Google Glass, thus allowing his program to sniff out the wearables.

 

He thought of the program after learning a fellow artist friend was disturbed by guests who showed up to his art exhibit wearing Glass - and had no way to tell if they were photographing or recording his work.

 

"To say ‘I don’t want to be filmed’ at a restaurant, at a party, or playing with your kids is perfectly OK. But how do you do that when you don’t even know if a device is recording? This steps up the game. It’s taking a jammer-like approach," Oliver told Wired.

 

So far, the anti-Glass program has been "successfully" tested on Oliver's studio's network.

 

Also, Oliver believes his creation is legal, but so long as the user is the owner of the network.

 

Wired said Oliver sees his program as being similar to cell phone jammers adopted in schools and government buildings.

 

More aggressive version?

 

Meanwhile, Oliver said it is possible the technique could be used aggressively, potentially able to kick out Glass from any network. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News