The researchers describe that the technology creates images based on signals that are transmitted between WiFi devices in a room.
The corresponding study involved 197 people. It showed that the technology can recognize people with almost 100 percent accuracy, regardless of their angle or gait.
Professor Torsten Stuefe explains that the method works like a camera, but uses radio waves instead of light. Researchers warn that every router can become a “silent observer”, and active networks in cafes, offices or homes make it possible to track people without them noticing.
This does not require special equipment – a standard WiFi device that receives unencrypted signals from other network users is sufficient. Scientists are calling for privacy protections to be built into the new IEEE 802.11bf WiFi standard, especially given the risks of using the technology in authoritarian countries to monitor protesters.
Context
TechSpot reported that according to a study from the University of California, Irvine, even a regular gaming mouse can become an eavesdropping device if it is connected to a computer with the appropriate software. Highly sensitive optical mice can detect table microvibrations and reproduce human language, researchers say. The Mic-E-Mouse project processes these vibrations digitally and with a neural network, achieving recognition accuracy of 42–61%. Researchers see this as new privacy risks in the era of high-tech sensors and GenAI.
