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Your ringside view to the latest shifts in online security.
"WhoFi" or Oh Fish? You Can Be Tracked Using Wi-Fi
A group of Italian researchers has just unveiled WhoFi, a breakthrough technology that can identify and follow people around, not by looking at their faces or tracking their phones, but simply by measuring subtle changes in Wi-Fi signals caused by their bodies.Sounds futuristic, right? Let's break it down, look at how it works, and then explore the big debate: genius innovation or privacy nightmare?What is WhoFi, Exactly?Imagine walking through a room with Wi-Fi coverage. As you move, your body actually affects the signal — tiny distortions caused by your physical characteristics, such as your size, shape, and even the way you walk. WhoFi takes advantage of this by analyzing a type of Wi-Fi data called Channel State Information (CSI). It uses a deep neural network to recognize these distortions and create a kind of "Wi-Fi fingerprint" that's unique to you.So, if someone installs WhoFi in a building, the system can learn how you alter the Wi-Fi and then spot you again somewhere else, even if you don't have your phone, aren't logged in, and nobody’s pointed a camera at you. In testing, WhoFi could correctly "re-identify" people with up to 95.5% accuracy — much higher than earlier attempts at the same idea.The Upside: Innovation and Possibilities- No Devices Needed: You don’t need a phone or smart watch on you. Just being present changes the Wi-Fi enough for WhoFi to identify you.
- Works Where Cameras Don’t: In total darkness, through walls, or when your face is covered, WhoFi could still spot you. Useful for security, smart buildings, or hospitals that want to monitor movement without invasive cameras.
- More “Private” Than Video? Since it doesn’t capture images or record voices, some see it as less intrusive than CCTV.
- Advanced Applications: The underlying tech is part of a push toward Wi-Fi sensing — imagine smart homes that sense gestures, monitor breathing rates, or even detect falls among elderly residents, all through Wi-Fi.The Downside: Privacy Concerns and Risks- Covert Tracking: WhoFi can identify and follow you without any device, consent, or awareness. You might never know it’s happening.
- Unique Profiles: Even without collecting names, it builds movement profiles that could reveal routines, habits, and whereabouts.
- No Easy Opt-Out: Unlike turning off location services on your phone, you can’t easily stop your body from changing Wi-Fi signals.
- Potential for Abuse: In workplaces, homes, or public spaces, WhoFi could be turned into a surveillance tool for bosses, landlords, or authorities — raising serious ethical questions.
- Unclear Regulations: Existing laws don’t really address these new kinds of biometric tracking, leaving individuals exposed.The Debate: Genius or Menace?Some champions of WhoFi say it’s a leap forward for non-invasive sensing — safer, easier, and less visually intrusive than old-school cameras. Imagine life-saving applications for monitoring health or improving building security.On the flip side, privacy advocates warn that this is a step too far. If you can be watched anywhere with Wi-Fi, without any sign or approval, what happens to personal freedom and privacy? There's a real risk of silent, widespread surveillance with little transparency or control.What’s Next?Like it or not, WhoFi has thrown open a new chapter in tracking technology. It raises tough questions: Should we let buildings identify us just by how we walk through them? Will governments and companies regulate such systems, or will they spread without oversight? For now, the debate is ongoing, and if you spend any time around Wi-Fi, you’re officially part of it!Referencehttps://www.theregister.com/2025/07/22/whofiwifiidentifier/https://www.techradar.com/pro/wi-fi-signals-could-be-used-to-uniquely-identify-individuals-whofi-complements-biometrics-prompting-privacy-fears
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