S.T.O.P. Releases Report on Ultra-Wideband Tech

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Releases Report On Risks of Ultra-Wideband Tech Details location tracking, stalking, and antitrust concerns, calls for regulatory intervention. (New York, NY, 11/16/2021) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, released Scarily Precise, a report detailing the privacy and antitrust concerns surrounding ultra-wideband (UWB) beacons. A short-range wireless technology like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, UWB beacons generate alarmingly detailed location data that puts users at risk of hacking and stalking. The report also highlights the danger that UWB could create a new layer of monopolistic control for a small number of tech giants. SEE: Report – Scarily Precise: Location Tracking with Ultra-Wideband https://www.stopspying.org/scarilyprecise “Ultra-wideband is far too powerful a tool to build into smartphones without strict regulation,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Research Director Eleni Manis. “Unlike Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, UWB can detect your location within a few centimeters. In the wrong hands, this can allow stalking by an intimate partner or dangerous surveillance by law enforcement.”  “UWB is adding yet another layer of tracking and consolidation that we don’t need,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “This technology is primed for abuse, whether it’s used by an abusive partner, a hacker, or even police. UWB will make it hard for us to go anywhere, do anything, without being tracked. Also, this technology threatens to give a small number of tech giants unprecedented control of the internet itself. These companies have fought to control aspects of our digital world, but they’ve never before had this potential power to control the networks we rely upon to connect with each other.” Key Findings Include: UWB’s location tracking capabilities are far more precise than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth; Cisco, Apple, Samsung, Google, Facebook, Sony, and Hyundai plan to rapidly expand UWB tracking; UWB manufacturers are enabling stalking; UWB broadcasts potentially sensitive data to nearby devices, enabling hacking; Apple and Amazon are poised to gain anticompetitive control of UWB networking. The report comes as Apple and Amazon face UWB controversies. Apple AirTags, marketed to track objects like luggage or keys, allow for prolonged stalking before a survivor is notified of suspicious activity. UWB technology part of Amazon Sidewalk, a network connecting Amazon servers to smart home devices, raises similar concerns and allows access to Amazon devices at sensitive locations like places of worship, protests, or abortion clinics. SEE: Wired – Apple’s AirTags are a Gift to Stalkers https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-apples-air-tags-are-a-gift-to-stalkers/ ACLU – Sidewalk: The Next Frontier Of Amazon’s Surveillance Infrastructure https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/sidewalk-the-next-frontier-of-amazons-surveillance-infrastructure/ The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. -- END -- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.