Apple wants to expose hidden recording: Devices will use sound or vibration signals
Apple will protect smart glasses from hacking (photo: Unsplash)
Apple has come up with a way to combat secret recording on its devices. The company is patenting audio signals designed to alert people that recording is taking place instead of relying on discreet indicators, according to a published Apple patent.
Why is Apple choosing audio indicators over visual ones?
The new patent describes the use of audio signals or haptic feedback (vibrations/pulses).
Among them:
Wearer notifications: an audio or haptic signal alerts the user that recording has started or is still in progress. This addresses the problem of forgetfulness when someone leaves the camera on.
Accessibility: audio and haptic notifications are more effective for people with visual impairments than traditional indicator lights.
Experts note that continuous audio feedback throughout the entire recording process could be annoying or interfere with the audio being recorded, so for now, the patent focuses on initial and periodic signals for the device wearer.
Fragment from the patent application showing the proposed placement of the microphone and speaker at the top of the device (diagram: Apple)
Read more: Fake photos are becoming a problem: iPhone to learn how to prove images are authentic
Protection against hacking and signal spoofing
A significant part of the patent focuses on cybersecurity, specifically preventing malware or hackers from taking control of the glasses.
To protect against manipulation, Apple proposes the following solutions:
- “Speaker-microphone” setup: after the speaker plays the recording indicator sound, the device’s microphone immediately “listens” and captures that sound.
- Protection against encoded copying: the system can generate an audio signal containing encoded pairing information. This prevents malicious software from spoofing the recording-stopped signal (such as the standard video stop sound on an iPhone) to secretly continue recording.
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Fragment from the patent showing the locations where sound could be generated (diagram: Apple)
Where will the technology be used?
As is customary in Apple patent applications, the company notes that the technology described could be applied to a broader range of electronic devices. In particular, the document mentions Apple Watch.
However, the application’s main focus and its extensive security system are centered specifically on smart glasses and protecting the privacy of their owners and those around them.
