Recording devices, algorithmic feeds and data resale often operate without people seeing or actively choosing them. Zuckoff, Epsilon and Hyves challenge these defaults in different ways: one helps people identify nearby camera-equipped glasses, while the other two position user control and privacy as central parts of their social networks.
Zuckoff uses Bluetooth signals to alert users when camera-equipped smart glasses, including Ray-Ban Meta and Snap Spectacles, may be nearby. The app also shows the evidence behind each alert, allowing users to assess the detection themselves. It does not establish whether someone is recording, but it makes the presence of a potentially recording device easier to identify.
France-based Epsilon launched with GDPR compliance, no data resale and no engagement-optimised algorithms as part of its main proposition. Rather than presenting privacy controls as optional settings, the platform states how it handles data and content from the outset. Epsilon tests whether people will choose a social network partly for the practices it excludes.
Netherlands-based Hyves is returning with an emphasis on user control and data ownership. The platform positions itself against algorithmic feeds and endless scrolling, making those differences part of its relaunch. Its return will help show whether dissatisfaction with established social platforms can translate into sustained use of an alternative.