Creepy geeks: “We will, we will, track you”
A study published by the University of Washington’s Computer Science & Engineering Department shows that runners who use the Nike Apple iPod Sport Kit could be more susceptible to peeping Tom’s with some techie radio gear than you might think.
From the overview:
Our tools can track Nike+iPod Sport Kit owners while they our working out, as well as when they are just casually walking around town, a parking lot, or a college campus. The tracked individuals don’t even need to have their iPods with them.
Our research also shows that there exist simple cryptographic techniques that the Nike+iPod Sport Kit designers could have used to improve the privacy-preserving properties of the Nike+iPod kit.
Our work underscores the need for a broad public discussion about and further research on the privacy-preserving properties of new wireless personal gadgets.
Here’s engadget:
The basic issue is that apparently the Nike+iPod system has a read range of 60 feet due to its internal power source, compared to the 10-inch range of typical RFID tags found in clothing or credit cards. The team has suggested a solution to the problem, which would be to uniquely pair one sensor to one reader. That seems reasonable to us, but until then, we’ll start randomizing our jogging route just to really screw with these dudes.
Apparently “Saponas and Kohno [people who did the study] say they have sent the results of their research to both Apple and Nike, but have not yet received a response.” From KGW.
PRpulp will be waiting.
Privacy concerns with new technologies are very real. So much so that they’re spawning new business opportunities to defend consumers against the afterthoughts of cool new tech.
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