Giveaway of the Day Forums

1. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   threatpost[.]com/ultrasonic-beacons-are-tracking-your-every-movement/125484/

   More than 200 Android mobile applications listen surreptitiously for ultrasonic beacons embedded in audio that are used to track users and serve them with targeted advertising.

   Academics from Technische Universitat Braunschweig in Germany recently published a paper in which they describe their research into the practice of using these beacons to monitor a consumer’s shopping and possibly television viewing habits in order to serve them relevant advertising. The researchers raise a number of privacy concerns about such tracking, and how adversaries can abuse it to deduce a person’s physical location, and even theoretically de-anonymize their use of the Tor browser or crytocurrency such as Bitcoin.

   Posted 7 years ago #
2. 

   Idunnobutiwastold
   Gaming Acolyte

   Thanks, Mike.
   

   Researchers raise a number of privacy concerns about [...] how adversaries can abuse [ultrasonic beacons] to deduce a person’s physical location.

   
   I'm not a scientist, but isn't that a form of radar at a macro level? I hope this gear doesn't fall in the hands of an evil scientist.

   Posted 7 years ago #
3. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   Well, assuming software on your cell phone is listening, it's proof you were at whatever location that had a speaker or speakers sounding that beacon. Law enforcement, or whomever doing surveillance or intelligence gathering, would simply put up a convert speaker or two at a location they wanted to monitor, then send out a query to every cell phone to get a listing of everyone that was there. If they alter the beacon, say on the hour, they'd have proof of when. Or a spy could plant a speaker or three at the entrance to say the CIA, or counter intelligence could plant them at the entrances to the US embassy for example -- that would give them a list of people to check out further. If the target was worth it, a burglar might use this to know when they left home, or maybe they'd put a speaker at the entrance to a higher priced jewelry store to get a list of potential victims. You could also sort of reverse the logic, getting proof that whomever was not where they were supposed to be, because their phone wasn't picking up the beacon when it should have been.

   A larger store would use this to see what departments you visited, so if you for example were in the lawn & garden dept., they'd send you ads about sales on lawn mowers & related power tools like string trimmers. It's up to your own, personal levels of cynicism or paranoia whether you feel the gov already uses this, or soon will. ;)

   Posted 7 years ago #
4. 

   Idunnobutiwastold
   Gaming Acolyte

   Good to know, Mike.
   I would probably pick up a boxset of this kit whenever it becomes available at the local hobby store. :-D
   Joseph

   Posted 7 years ago #
5. 

   Dragonlair
   Member

   . You could also sort of reverse the logic, getting proof that whomever was not where they were supposed to be, because their phone wasn't picking up the beacon when it should have been.

   What if you were where you said you were but didn't have your phone turned on? Me, I don't have a smartphone, just a simpler cell phone that's grandfathered into a plan with T-Mobile that only costs me $10 a YEAR (plus tax). :)

   Posted 7 years ago #
6. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   Me, I don't have a smartphone, just a simpler cell phone that's grandfathered into a plan with T-Mobile that only costs me $10 a YEAR (plus tax). :)

   :) :) :)

   The new Samsung phones are almost $1,000, & many households pay their carriers more than our car payments were once upon a time.

   Posted 7 years ago #

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