Information security specialists have revealed growing concerns about the possibility of Wi-Fi networks transforming from a mere tool for connecting the Internet into comprehensive surveillance systems capable of tracking the movement of individuals and photographing objects behind walls, which represents a major challenge to digital and physical privacy.
This technology, which is beginning to appear outside research laboratories and is entering into application, is based on the analysis of “signal disturbance.” Human bodies act as obstacles that reflect and scatter radio waves emanating from routers.
Using complex artificial intelligence algorithms, the system can create heat maps or 3D images of people in indoor spaces, and determine their locations with high accuracy without the need for traditional surveillance cameras.
The report indicated that the danger lies in the widespread spread of these networks, as Wi-Fi waves cover homes, offices, and public places all over the world. If these frequencies are used as sensors, they may turn into “radars” spread everywhere, capable of monitoring the smallest details, including daily activities inside private rooms, and even monitoring breathing rates and heartbeats in some advanced applications.
These developments have alarmed privacy advocates, who warn that governments or big tech companies could exploit these vulnerabilities to impose sweeping and quiet censorship. The biggest challenge is that this type of surveillance is “invisible,” as it is difficult for the average user to know whether the Internet signals in his home are being used for sensing and monitoring purposes or not.
Technology experts stressed the need to establish strict international laws that prevent the integration of “wireless sensing” features into commercial devices without obtaining explicit consent from users, noting that the gap between technical progress and laws regulating privacy is constantly widening, which may turn the world into a “glass house” exposed to radio frequency lenses.
