01/06/2026
Forscher vom KIT in Karlsruhe haben gezeigt, dass moderne WLAN-Technik ausreicht, um Menschen mit einer Trefferquote von 99,5 % wiederzuerkennen und zu tracken! Alles ohne Kamera, Gesichtserkennung oder Smartphone-App.
Möglich wird das durch sogenannte Beamforming-Daten. Diese helfen eigentlich nur dabei, die Funkverbindung zwischen Gerät und WLAN zu verbessern. Die Studie zeigt jedoch, dass sich daraus individuelle Bewegungsmuster ableiten lassen.
Besonders kritisch ist, dass die benötigten Informationen unverschlüsselt übertragen werden und können mit vergleichsweise einfacher Technik mitgeschnitten werden.
Noch handelt es sich um Forschungsarbeit. Aber sie erinnert daran, wie schwer digitale Anonymität inzwischen geworden ist.
Experts are warning that emerging Wi-Fi sensing technologies could one day identify and track individuals with extremely high accuracy.
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany developed a system called BFId, which uses beamforming feedback information (BFI)—wireless signal data exchanged by devices to optimize Wi-Fi connections—to distinguish between individuals based on how their bodies interact with radio waves.
Because the human body absorbs, reflects, and scatters Wi-Fi signals in unique ways, an AI model can learn to recognize patterns associated with specific individuals. By analyzing these signal distortions, the system can effectively create a radio-based biometric signature.
In a controlled study involving 197 participants, the researchers reported identification accuracy of up to 99.5% under test conditions, even across different viewing angles, body positions, and walking styles.
Unlike many previous wireless sensing systems, BFId was designed to work with standard Wi-Fi protocols and consumer hardware rather than requiring specialized sensors.
Researchers note that the technology was demonstrated in a controlled research environment and does not mean that ordinary public Wi-Fi networks are currently identifying people at 99.5% accuracy in everyday settings. However, the findings highlight growing privacy concerns surrounding wireless sensing and the potential future use of ambient radio signals for biometric identification.
Cybersecurity experts say the research underscores the need for stronger privacy protections as wireless technologies become increasingly capable of detecting and analyzing human presence and behavior.