Friday, June 12, 2015

WiFi device can see through walls: “Track a human by using body as an antenna array”

As if things weren’t creepy enough already.

A new application of WiFi could take surveillance to the next level.

WiFi already makes a perfectly good tracking device – government and law enforcement agencies already collect location data from phones and computers – but ultimately, its accuracy is weak.

Now, MIT tech geeks have found a way to pinpoint location and track complex movement patterns with far greater accuracy – and what’s more, it can track people’s steps through walls, and the individuals or groups don’t even need to carry a cell phone!

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The tracked users will be potentially given incentives for using the technology – with applications including the ability to turn off a light from the other room by pointing at it through the walls.

Similar systems, such as the WiSee, have been developed specifically to allow users to command smart appliances in their homes from other rooms by directing gestures to turn on or off devices. It’s part of the lure of smart homes, which also double as totally pervasive panopticons from hell. Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Your Facebook, Twitter and blog are about to be monitored for references...
  2. UK government quietly rewrites hacking laws to give GCHQ immunity...
  3. Mass surveillance is driven by the private sector...
  4. How DNA is turning us into a nation of suspects

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