Your WiFi router knows it’s you
Just what modern privacy needed: one more invisible thing keeping tabs on you.
Turns out you may not need to carry a tracking device everywhere if the room itself is already doing the job: researchers say ordinary WiFi can recognize individuals with startling accuracy just from the way their bodies disturb radio waves.
“By observing the propagation of radio waves, we can create an image of the surroundings and of persons who are present,” says Professor Thorsten Strufe from KASTEL — KIT’s Institute of Information Security and Dependability. “This works similar to a normal camera, the difference being that in our case, radio waves instead of light waves are used for the recognition,” explains the cybersecurity expert. “Thus, it does not matter whether you carry a WiFi device on you or not.”
Turning off your smartphone is not enough to avoid detection. According to the researchers, nearby wireless devices connected to the network still generate enough signal activity for the system to work.
Just what modern privacy needed: one more invisible thing keeping tabs on you.