WiFi Can Identify People Without Cameras

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have demonstrated that standard Wi-Fi networks can identify specific individuals in a crowd without using cameras. The system analyzes distortions in radio waves, caused by a person's body, to build radio 'images.' A machine-learning model then matches these patterns to an identity, achieving 99.5% accuracy in tests with 197 participants. While the technology can re-identify the same person in different locations, it requires a separate database to link these sightings to legal names. The researchers expressed concerns about potential misuse by authoritarian regimes for surveillance and are advocating for privacy safeguards in future Wi-Fi standards.