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Privacy@lemmy.worldbyfloofloof@lemmy.ca
7 days

Ordinary WiFi can now identify you with near-perfect accuracy

www.sciencedaily.com English

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.bestiver.se/post/1289547

Comments

42
    Ordinary WiFi networks could quietly become powerful surveillance tools, allowing people to be identified without cameras, special sensors, or even carrying a connected device. Researchers showed that unencrypted signals routinely exchanged between WiFi devices and routers can be used to create radio-based images of people and recognize them within seconds. In tests involving 197 participants, the system identified individuals with nearly 100% accuracy, even from different angles and regardless of how they walked.
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    • moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.comEnglish
      6 days

      So, you’re telling me that my neighbor can see the size of my penis while I’m having sex using BFI data from my partner’s phone?

      And I could make a 3D image of my neighbor’s breasts using the BFI data from her smart fridge and cell phone, just by listening to this unencrypted BFI data?

        • moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.comEnglish
          6 days

          Sorry to take the pervert spin, but John Oliver showed us during the Snowden revolutions that if you frame this sort of news in the narrative of “the government is looking at my naked body during sexual exchanges without my consent”, then people will be much more outraged.

          Seems like the long term solution to this is to make BFI data encrypted.

          If this research gets properly picked up by the press and interpreted and written about from a “the gov can watch you having sex using your smart fridge” then there may be pressure on the WiFi standard to make broadcasting unencrypted BFI illegal in future devices

            • Crozekiel@lemmy.zipEnglish
              6 days

              […] then there may be pressure on the WiFi standard to make broadcasting unencrypted BFI illegal in future devices

              Hahahahahaha, the government wants us only using state approved routers probably to make sure we are all using the one that let them watch us have sex in weird monochrome sonar-vision. We live in a surveillance state more every day and research like this is giving the FBI a fucking hard-on.

          • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
            7 days

            There are a few privacy focused standards in the works

              • moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.comEnglish
                6 days

                Link?

                  • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
                    6 days

                    https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/802.11bi/12331/

                • moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.comEnglish
                  6 days

                  They’re using BFI to form 3d images using WiFi radios

                  Connected devices routinely send information back to the router to help optimize wireless communication. These signals, known as beamforming feedback information (BFI), are transmitted without encryption, meaning that anyone within range can potentially read them.

                  By analyzing that information, the system can generate images of people from multiple viewpoints. Those images can then be used to determine a person’s identity.

                  • rhythmisaprancer@quokk.auEnglish
                    7 days

                    It isn’t clear to me from the article whether a device would need to have connected with any of the wifi networks previously or if the device somehow recognizes the existence of said network and performs some kind of hand shake. This seems important. My devices don’t automatically connect to anything except my home, hidden network, but I would like to know how this works.

                      • moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.comEnglish
                        6 days

                        The article was very clear that this isn’t fingerprinting your devices. You could have zero devices, but you walk into a café and other people’s devices are all screaming radio waves, including BFI data, which bonuses off your physical body, forming an image of you

                        That unencrypted BFI data can then be listened-to by a nearby attacker who would process the data in a ML algorithm, and identify you with near 100% accuracy.

                        That’s what the article said.

                          • rhythmisaprancer@quokk.auEnglish
                            5 days

                            I went thru the article again, and with your input it seems pretty obvious. Without it, tho, it is clear I have a reading comprehension issue that I am not excited about.

                            Thank you for moderating!! I’ve read about this (wifi sensing bodies) before and am not excited.

                        • Shortstack@reddthat.comEnglish
                          7 days

                          Because of course we need another dystopian surveillance network to worry about

                          I wouldn’t be surprised if a convert-to-Mennonite/Amish movement took hold as the veneer of modern life continues to erode

                            • taj@lemmy.worldEnglish
                              7 days

                              I don’t want to convert to the Amish. But, we are definitely reaching a point where I’d like to revert to… Idk. Late 1990-2000s, maybe early 2010 technology. And ditch all this AI, surveillance bs of the late 2010-2020s!!!

                                • bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                                  7 days

                                  Yep, 08 ish was peak. Now tech is shit.

                                    • Sturgist@lemmy.caEnglish
                                      7 days

                                      Idk man, I can play pc games on my phone, and they run really good. Or better yet, PS2 games run like a hot-damn emulated on my phone, so instead of lugging my PS2 everywhere I just put a controller in my bag and I can play Colosseum: Road to Freedom any damn where I want!

                                        • bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                                          7 days

                                          True emulation is fun, but soon phones will all be locked down by google/apple, plus they’re total spyware. I’d rather not have them.

                                          Old pixels with graphene will only last so long, new future phones won’t allow it.

                                            • HerbGrower@slrpnk.netEnglish
                                              7 days

                                              Are fairphone locking down their bootloader? Hadn’t heard anything about it

                                              • Sturgist@lemmy.caEnglish
                                                7 days

                                                Yeah, I’d love for Linux phones to be actually 100% usable, I’d be gone from android so fast…

                                                • DosDude@retrofed.comEnglish
                                                  7 days

                                                  I ordered my jolla phone. Let’s hope that’s a better future.

                                                • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
                                                  7 days

                                                  I mean thats great and I love games but not enough to pay for the corpo tracking devices.

                                              • BussyGyatt@feddit.orgEnglish
                                                7 days

                                                New Wave Amish

                                                • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
                                                  7 days

                                                  yeah tech wise kinda peaked before the 20teens. that being said the corpo thing has me wanting to go back to pre computer. eff em. where I am really going is gpl or bust.

                                              • Farid@startrek.websiteEnglish
                                                7 days

                                                I’ve seen this news many times over the past year. Can I use it in HA yet or not?!

                                                  • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.worldEnglish
                                                    7 days

                                                    I believe it would require a specific ML model to be trained, due to the slight variances in the hardware and each environment. This means you would also need the hardware to run the model 24/7.

                                                    It could definitely be done, and I suspect the fascist surveillance state already has projects to weaponize it; they’re probably also building the capability into the 6G or 7G spec, so they can monitor everything, everyone, everywhere, 24/7 from cell towers alone.

                                                      • Farid@startrek.websiteEnglish
                                                        7 days

                                                        Oh man, that sounds way inefficient. Guess I’ll stick to the human presence sensors, then…

                                                          • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.worldEnglish
                                                            6 days

                                                            ML models trained for a specific task are not necessarily inefficient. It’d probably be more efficient to add a single pi or container for “sensing” than adding a dozen physical sensors all over the place.

                                                            But it also looks like a new wifi standard will include some non-ML sensing capability on router anyway, but probably won’t be available till the 2030’s. I’d expect the ML approach to have solid options within a couple of years.

                                                      • Bonesince1997@lemmy.worldEnglish
                                                        7 days

                                                        What if I spread mud all over myself?

                                                          • zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
                                                            6 days

                                                            I don’t think the predator’s visor had a Wi-Fi mode, but who knows.

                                                            • Trump Rapes Kids@lemmy.worldEnglish
                                                              7 days

                                                              I know that works against predators, but I don’t think it works against child predators.

                                                                • Tikiporch@lemmy.worldEnglish
                                                                  7 days

                                                                  It works against mosquitos. I know it’s not the same, but we should treat mosquitos as though they are child predators. Spray with chemicals or splat them.

                                                                    • Sarah@lemmy.worldEnglish
                                                                      7 days

                                                                      Made me laugh!

                                                                • Corhen@lemmy.worldEnglish
                                                                  7 days

                                                                  For home assistant, I love it.

                                                                  But we all know the companies won’t want to keep that information local.

                                                                  • hendrik@palaver.p3x.deEnglish
                                                                    7 days

                                                                    Why all the conditionals in the language? As far as I know “Wifi sensing” is already specified in 802.11bf and will be part of upcoming router generations. There’s no “would” and “could” or “might”? It’s gonna be there. And once it is, it will be used for the one thing it can do, …sense presence of people…

                                                                    • qwerty@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
                                                                      7 days

                                                                      Is it time to put tinfoil in the walls?

                                                                        • moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.comEnglish
                                                                          6 days

                                                                          Depends. Do you want your WiFi to work outside?

                                                                          Or you could just disable BFI.

                                                                          • floofloof@lemmy.caEnglish
                                                                            7 days

                                                                            And also switch back to Ethernet, or you’re going to have a hard time getting online.

                                                                              • sudoMakeUser@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                                                                                7 days

                                                                                This but with privacy

                                                                                  • HerbGrower@slrpnk.netEnglish
                                                                                    7 days

                                                                                    I really should get a crimp tool and some snakey bois. Although I use a 4G router. So I could end up with the opposite setup most people have. Wired LAN and wireless internet.

                                                                                • GreenKnight23@lemmy.worldEnglish
                                                                                  7 days

                                                                                  got you beat with all the lead and asbestos in my walls.

                                                                                  • ResistingArrest@lemmy.zipEnglish
                                                                                    7 days

                                                                                    It’s been that time

                                                                                  • Lon3star@lemmy.worldEnglish
                                                                                    7 days

                                                                                    Hello Batman

                                                                                    • TIEPilot@lemmy.worldEnglish
                                                                                      7 days

                                                                                      Tool: “Praying on tidal waves”

                                                                                      Me: “Praying on coronal mass ejections”

                                                                                      • Willy@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                                                                                        7 days

                                                                                        this has interesting more info on radio id/imaging

                                                                                        https://youtu.be/olaQ3-m271M

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