Privacy: Any Wi-Fi can now identify you with near perfect accuracy
Privacy: Any Wi-Fi can now identify you with near perfect accuracy
Publish Date: 2026-05-23 16:48:00
Source Domain: www.digitaljournal.com
Image: © PhotoTelegram
Researchers report how ordinary Wi-Fi routers may soon be able to secretly recognize and track people with near-perfect accuracy. Is this something of societal benefit or a further extension of state surveillance of its citizens?
Scientists at the Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (Germany) have demonstrated a new form of surveillance: identifying people using nothing more than ordinary Wi-Fi signals.
By analysing how radio waves bounce around a room, researchers can effectively “see” and recognise individuals. This is even when they are not carrying a device and even when their phone is turned off.
The process
By observing the propagation of radio waves, researchers can create an image of the surroundings and of persons who are present.
This process works similar to a normal camera, the difference being that radio waves, instead of light waves, are used for the recognition.
Devices on a wireless network regularly send feedback data known as beamforming feedback information (BFI) to the router. Since this information is transmitted without encryption, anyone within range can potentially read it.
The researchers say these signal reflections can effectively create multiple “views” of a person, allowing AI systems to learn and recognise individual identities.
How this technology works in practice
A device (like a radar, Wi‑Fi transmitter, or specialised sensor) sends out radio frequency (RF) waves into an environment.
The waves spread out through walls, furniture, and air. Unlike visible light, radio waves can penetrate many materials.
When radio waves encounter objects, they:
- Reflect off surfaces (walls, bodies, furniture)
- Scatter in multiple directions
- Absorb partially, depending on material
Humans are particularly detectable because the body contains water which creates a strong radio frequency interaction. Furthermore, the human body, as it moves, creates signal changes as…
