German scientists identify 197 people using only Wi-Fi signal movements
Scientists in Germany have figured out how to identify people just by the way their bodies interact with regular Wi-Fi signals.
By analyzing changes in radio waves as people move, their system could spot 197 different participants, no matter how they walked or viewed from different angles.
This discovery is raising eyebrows about privacy, since it means Wi-Fi networks could be used for sneaky surveillance.
Researchers urge wireless privacy protections
Instead of cameras or tracking apps, this method uses machine learning to pick up on each person's unique movement patterns from Wi-Fi data (no gadgets or direct contact needed).
The researchers are urging privacy protections to be built into future wireless standards, warning that current networks could allow difficult-to-detect monitoring if we're not careful.