[1] "Traffic Flow Estimation using LTE Radio Frequency Counters and Machine Learning", https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.09143
But it isn't at all like straight UHF/VHF radio intereference spectra analysis or whatever we want to call it.
Wifi, Cell network bands, bluetooth and hard fiber lines are all far more exploitable than "regular" RF . A police squad car equipped with the RF package (which convienetly comes from defense contractors) can grid out your home and hotspot people, devices, etc. This is only possible due to exploits/abusing these standards and cooperation w/ device/tech vendors.
Is this a problem? Eh, not for me where I live. Is it illegal? I am not versed enough to know how procedural/ y the books this is. But it is odd that a passing police vehicle potentially has unmarshalled/warrentless seach running 24/7.
https://www.amazon.de/Silence-Wire-Passive-Reconnaissance-In...
This problem is solved via two ways (or both at once):
- Pihole
- Unplug the TV from ethernet and disable wifi
All my TVs display no ads because they are jailed.
This likely requires opening the case and physically disabling (hence knowing what you are doing). Or the TV will find other devices to transmit the data. Not an easy measure for everyone.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IFVTcM28KA (Gamers Nexus findings)
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFx1DyAjxYc (LMGClips summary)
Philips Hue also has it built in to their newer lights, where they measure the Zigbee signals. They call it MotionAware[2]. Basically anything with an antenna and a bit of compute is able to do this now.
[1] IEEE 802.11bf-2025 [2] https://www.philips-hue.com/en-hk/support/article/motionawar...
~~Comcast~~ Xfinity actually advertises it on the radio as a feature.
A bad actor who wants to act on that information can just wait near your house on a workday morning and watch you leave, likely not to return for the better part of the day. No techno-voodoo required.
This makes it more remote and subtle, but it’s not a new threat.
Those mics can be quite sensitive.
I feel like by disabling ads in most devices, I'm also taking away the best source of information on what bad actors (here ad companies) managed to exfiltrate about me.
If there only was a way to sell ad space about myself and learn from it what others know.
Here it is:
---
Tapping <first name last name> at the top of Settings opens the Samsung account notice, and the Terms of Service show as not accepted. I'm leaving them unaccepted and not continuing.
1. Security and privacy
Controls and alerts: left Microphone access on, because permissions will be set individually per app.
More privacy settings:
Send diagnostic data
Set to Off
Samsung
Improve personalized ads based on data from this phone: you have to go to the Samsung account settings.
Receive news and special offers on this phone: same
Customization Service for your phone: same
Going to Accounts and backup > Samsung Cloud > Data backed up: there is no data being backed up to Samsung.
Going to Samsung Cloud shows that Bluetooth, Calendar, Contacts and Wi-Fi are synced.
Google personalization service: set to Off
Permission manager:
Switched to Ask every time:
- Chrome
- Maps
- Meet
- Facebook
- Google
- Messages
- Speech Recognition & Synthesis from Google
- Samsung Keyboard
- TikTok
Activity controls
Web & App Activity: turned off, but I did not delete the history
Timeline (Location History): was already off since January 1, 2025
YouTube History: left on
Personalized ads:
- My Ad Center is turned off
- Partner ads settings, Visit My Ad Center, Ads you can control, Get started,
Cancel
2. Ads
Ads privacy
Ad topics: 0
App-suggested ads: 0
Ad measurement: - Allow ad measurement: set to Off - Reset measurement data: reset
Reset advertising ID: confirmed, reset
Delete advertising ID: deleted
Usage & diagnostics: disabled
3. Remote management
After I tapped it, it said "Installing applications" After a few minutes, at the second login, I got in and it showed me a Smart Tutor screen. I went to Apps, found it and uninstalled it. It would have allowed the phone to be managed remotely by customer support, I don't know which one.
Settings & privacy
Settings, Apps and websites, turned off "Apps, websites and games"
Business integrations
Activity log, Apps and websites off Facebook, Posts from apps and websites: it was empty. Your apps: it was empty.
The danger with these technologies is not when they allow to precise track you once your general vicinity is known, that was always possible by putting some goons after you. General mass surveillance that is constantly tagged is the problem, flock, PRISM and the other stuffs.
The problem with mass surveillance is that even if you are aware you are actively transmitting and your data is still caught in the dragnet for example with camera doorbells and other surveillance apparatus like flock, or visiting a site with facebook ad trackers. You transmit either way by being, if you travel in public with phone or without a phone, both is an identifying datapoint.
Long story short, barely anyone got anywhere. Because simply doing an ATM transaction to get the cash already triggered the signal where they were. Not to mention the amount of government owned cameras. As well as being in proximity of anyone still online.
Complete anonymity is virtually impossible, depending on the country.
In the parent case the supposed illegal activity is associated with a device (possibly the location) and they are trying to find the identity of the person associated.
The show is set up so that if the contestants do anything on a given list (like access ATMs, pay for something with a known card, walking past cctv cameras etc) then the camera crew would notify the hunters. Thats how they got that intel so that they wouldnt need to use actual methods.
I dont think you can use that show as an actual example of somebody on the run. Its so far away from reality and set up to be interesting to the viewer, its just not realistic at all.
The amount of camera's in and around shopping areas is staggering. And the requirement to have a smartphone on hand is increasing every day, at least in the Netherlands.
https://github.com/deletexiumu/wifi-densepose " SCAM ALERT: Technical audit reveals this project is a non-functional AI-generated facade with fake CSI data, no trained models, and suspected star inflation"
Oh well, there have always been ways to snoop on someone like that. Back in the day it was CRTs emitting measurable waves through the neighborhood, with some papers even going as far as restoring the displayed image through a wall. Nowadays it's fiber and WiFi, and those seem to be much easier to work with even. Plus everyone carries a device that is tracked by their mobile provider's cell network. shrug
Fun fact, it was invented by Leon Theremin. The inventor of the Theremin.
Here's what Theremin invented: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(listening_device)
There may also be unusual applications of this, like the traffic counting mentioned by another commenter.
(For anyone who needs hardening against things like this, you need a SCIF.)
they track BUTTERFLIES from Canada to Mexico by attaching tiny trackers with eyelash glue
* https://celltracktech.com/products/ctt-blumorpho
smaller than a tic-tac candy (about two match-heads)
* https://cellular-tracking-technologies.github.io/ctt_documen...