WiFi could secretly track you even if you leave your phone at home

Scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany created an experiment in which they were able to track people using sound waves from WiFi routers that surround people every day as they walk through the mass of public WiFi networks.

Scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany conducted an experiment using sound waves from WiFi routers to track people. The researchers created a system that could identify individuals with 92% accuracy, even when they weren't carrying a phone or laptop. This was achieved by analyzing the unique way a person's body interacts with the WiFi signals, creating a distinct "fingerprint" that can be used to track them. The experiment involved 10 participants and used 20 WiFi routers.

This technology could be used to track people's movements and behavior in public spaces, potentially infringing on their right to anonymity. For instance, a retailer could use this technology to track customers' movements within their stores, allowing them to tailor their marketing efforts and improve customer experience. However, this also raises concerns about data protection and the potential misuse of this technology.

This technology builds on previous research into the use of WiFi signals for tracking and surveillance. In 2018, researchers at the University of California demonstrated the use of WiFi signals to track people's movements within a building. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology's experiment takes this research a step further by demonstrating the ability to identify individuals with high accuracy.

As this technology continues to develop, expect to see increased scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) already includes provisions related to the use of biometric data, which could be applied to this technology. Meanwhile, researchers are likely to continue exploring the potential applications and limitations of this technology, with some potentially surprising uses – for example, using WiFi signals to track the movements of people with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.