JimBowie1958
Old Fogey
- Sep 25, 2011
- 63,590
- 16,753
- 2,220
Seriously, this shit is getting so fucking Big Brother that it is spooky.
Android apps are secretly tracking your location
Secret messages beamed out in TV adverts can order smartphones to spy on people, researchers warn
Soon, these apps might be used to find people who are trying to buy dope in shadowy alley ways and ghettos, lol..
Android apps are secretly tracking your location
An increasing number of Android applications are attempting to track users without their knowledge, according to a new report.
Over recent years, companies have started hiding “beacons”, ultrasonic audio signals inaudible to humans, in their adverts, in order to track devices and learn more about their owners.
Electronic devices equipped with microphones can register these sounds, allowing advertisers to uncover their location and work out what kind of ads their owners watch on TV and which other devices they own.
The technique can even be used to de-anonymise Tor users.
“Throughout our empirical study, we confirm that audio beacons can be embedded in sound, such that mobile devices spot them with high accuracy while humans do not perceive the ultrasonic signals consciously,” reads the report from researchers at Technische Universität Braunschweig in Germany.
They found that, while six apps were known to be using ultrasound cross-device tracking technology in April 2015, this number grew to 39 by December 2015, and has now increased to 234.
The study hasn’t named any specific programs, but says that several have millions of downloads and “are part of reputable companies”, including McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme.
Over recent years, companies have started hiding “beacons”, ultrasonic audio signals inaudible to humans, in their adverts, in order to track devices and learn more about their owners.
Electronic devices equipped with microphones can register these sounds, allowing advertisers to uncover their location and work out what kind of ads their owners watch on TV and which other devices they own.
The technique can even be used to de-anonymise Tor users.
“Throughout our empirical study, we confirm that audio beacons can be embedded in sound, such that mobile devices spot them with high accuracy while humans do not perceive the ultrasonic signals consciously,” reads the report from researchers at Technische Universität Braunschweig in Germany.
They found that, while six apps were known to be using ultrasound cross-device tracking technology in April 2015, this number grew to 39 by December 2015, and has now increased to 234.
The study hasn’t named any specific programs, but says that several have millions of downloads and “are part of reputable companies”, including McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme.
Secret messages beamed out in TV adverts can order smartphones to spy on people, researchers warn
A team of German academics have noticed a huge growth in the number of Android apps that are designed to look out for inaudible “ultrasonic” signals.
These signals contain a code that orders the apps to begin tracking people’s location, work out what they are watching on television and even expose intimate secrets about their personal life, such as their political affiliation or love of pornography.
They have alleged that multinational corporations such as Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s have fitted the snooping software within apps.
Apps that use the software can “precisely link the watching of even sensitive content such as adult movies or political documentations to a single individual – even at varying locations”, the researchers warned.
“Advertisers can deduce what and how long an individual is watching and obtain a detailed user profile to deliver highly customised advertisements,” the team added.
The spy apps use software called Silverpush which is designed to listen for “audio beacons” which humans cannot hear.
Researchers from the Braunschweig University of Technology visited 35 high street stores in two unnamed European cities and found four were secretly broadcasting these signals.
They also found an explosion in the number of Android apps which are constantly searching for audio beacons.
In April 2015, just 39 apps were fitted with Silverpush.
But the team found a total of 234 apps are now listening for ultrasonic signals – although this could be the tip of the iceberg.
These signals contain a code that orders the apps to begin tracking people’s location, work out what they are watching on television and even expose intimate secrets about their personal life, such as their political affiliation or love of pornography.
They have alleged that multinational corporations such as Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s have fitted the snooping software within apps.
Apps that use the software can “precisely link the watching of even sensitive content such as adult movies or political documentations to a single individual – even at varying locations”, the researchers warned.
“Advertisers can deduce what and how long an individual is watching and obtain a detailed user profile to deliver highly customised advertisements,” the team added.
The spy apps use software called Silverpush which is designed to listen for “audio beacons” which humans cannot hear.
Researchers from the Braunschweig University of Technology visited 35 high street stores in two unnamed European cities and found four were secretly broadcasting these signals.
They also found an explosion in the number of Android apps which are constantly searching for audio beacons.
In April 2015, just 39 apps were fitted with Silverpush.
But the team found a total of 234 apps are now listening for ultrasonic signals – although this could be the tip of the iceberg.
Soon, these apps might be used to find people who are trying to buy dope in shadowy alley ways and ghettos, lol..
