Eyechat
A browser-based experiment called Eyechat pairs strangers to look only into each other’s eyes via webcam, prompting reactions that range from delight and anxiety to worries about privacy and biometric capture. Commenters debate whether granting camera and cookie permissions to a playful site is worth the risk, scrutinizing its ad and tracking setup while noting that eye extraction is done client-side over WebRTC. Others focus on the social and technical angles, comparing it to earlier video-chat art projects, exploring how sustained eye contact affects intimacy, and speculating about future camera and eye-contact technologies.
Overall Reactions
- Many find the concept “neat,” funny, and creatively executed; several call it another strong project from the same site.
- Others experience significant discomfort or anxiety, especially around intense forced eye contact; some liken it to a torture method or note it would be especially hard for autistic people.
- A few users report patterns after several sessions (e.g., many participants having brown eyes, quickly switching to silly faces, some leaving abruptly).
Privacy, Biometrics, and Tracking
- A major thread centers on whether it’s wise to grant camera access to “a random site.”
- Some are relaxed, pointing out that they’re filmed constantly in public or already give large platforms much more data.
- Others refuse to enable the camera at all, going straight to the comments.
- Strong criticism of the site’s cookie banner: claims of hundreds of ad “vendors” and “legitimate interest” are seen as deceptive and disrespectful to user privacy.
- Comparisons are drawn to street surveillance vs. web tracking, with emphasis that websites can correlate biometrics with other identifiers, making entity resolution easier.
How It Works (Technical Notes)
- One commenter inspects the implementation and says eye extraction is done locally via a TensorFlow model (~15 MB), with video sent over WebRTC to peers via a TURN server.
- Another explicitly calls the “client-side only” claim false, so the exact guarantees are unclear.
- Several conclude this still boils down to whether users trust the site operator.
Monetization and Creator’s Work
- Discussion notes that other pages on the same domain show ads and likely earn significant revenue, especially popular games.
- Some express admiration for the polished, idea-driven projects and see them as “web as art,” while still criticizing ad and tracking practices.
User Experience, Social Dynamics, and Workarounds
- Some find instant, silent eye contact surprisingly jarring when the page loads with no explanation.
- Others enjoy the playful aspects, e.g., eyebrow–based aspect ratio changes.
- Suggestions include using a virtual webcam via OBS for shy or privacy-conscious users.
- A few compare it to Omegle but restricted to nonverbal interaction, and to cultural contexts where only eyes are visible in dating.
Broader Tech Tangents (Eye Contact Solutions)
- Thread branches into on-screen or under-display cameras and software-based “eye contact correction” (e.g., filters that digitally adjust gaze), with speculation that simulated eye contact may be the practical future.