Home / Technology / Privacy Glasses Fail to Stop Cameras, Irritate iPhones
Privacy Glasses Fail to Stop Cameras, Irritate iPhones
9 Oct
Summary
- ID Guard glasses reflect infrared light but offer limited privacy protection.
- The coating successfully blocked iPhone Face ID but not all cameras.
- Testing involved intercoms, security cameras, and phone facial recognition.
New testing indicates that Zenni's ID Guard lens coating, launched in 2025, offers limited effectiveness in preventing camera surveillance. This optical technology is designed to reflect near-infrared light, which is used by many cameras for illumination and facial mapping, including systems like Apple's Face ID.
During trials involving intercom systems and home security cameras, the ID Guard glasses showed mixed results. While they successfully prevented an iPhone from recognizing faces for Face ID setup and unlocking, they did not fool Google Photos or Apple Photos.
Further tests with a Google Nest camera in both daylight and infrared night vision modes revealed that the camera could still identify faces at close range. However, in dim light with night vision activated, the glasses appeared to reduce the camera's ability to recognize a face from 7 to 10 feet away.
Ultimately, the ID Guard coating's ability to disrupt unwanted tracking systems is questionable, and for iPhone users relying on Face ID, the technology may prove more inconvenient than beneficial.
