New surveillance tech challenges conventional thinking on biometric privacy

Mass surveillance and crowd security are the areas in which biometrics most frequently runs into worries about privacy and social repression. But what if you could tell what a person has in their bag from a distance, without biometrics?  What if public biometrics could track an individual without capturing a face image or matching them to an identity? Both appear to be possible today. 

The radiofrequency electromagnetic fields that carry Wi-Fi signal can be used to capture biometric data, while an Israeli startup says it has developed a way to use electromagnetic waves to perform radar screening to find weapons and hidden objects without biometric data.

WhoFi can generate biometric signatures using a Wi-Fi signal

Researchers have unveiled a biometric system capable of identifying individuals based solely on how they disturb Wi-Fi signals. 

Unlike fingerprint scanners or face biometric sensors the new technology — dubbed “WhoFi” — does not need visual information or direct physical contact. As long as a Wi-Fi network is present, WhoFi can identify people across a wider area than stationary cameras. 

WhoFi was developed by Danilo Avalo, Daniele Pannone, Dario Montagnini, and Emad Emam at the Department of Computer Science at La Sapienza University of Rome. 

Their system depends on the waveform moving through an environment propagated by a Wi-Fi signal. This waveform changes as it interacts with the physical characteristics of objects and people along its path. These alterations are captured in the form of Channel State Information (CSI) and contain detailed biometrics. 

“Unlike optical systems that perceive only the outer surface of a person,” the paper published on arxiv describes, “Wi-Fi signals interact with internal structures, such as bones, organs, and body composition, resulting in person-specific signal distortions that act as a unique signature.” 

By training a deep neural network to read these patterns, the researchers achieved identification accuracy rates of 95.5 percent, even in varied settings. This isn’t their first experiment with Wi-Fi-based identification. In 2020, they introduced “EyeFi,” a similar concept, though WhoFi reportedly delivers more precise results.

While the technology offers clear surveillance advantages as it can function through walls, in darkness and without being affected by visual obstructions, it also raises ethical concerns. The possibility of tracking individuals without consent or awareness is a privacy and ethics issue. The team stresses that their re-identification system doesn’t collect personal data or establish a person’s identity, instead relying solely on the biometric patterns embedded in Wi-Fi CSI.

As a research project, WhoFi has no immediate commercial or governmental aim. But its potential in surveillance is obvious. “By leveraging non-visual biometric features embedded in Wi-FI CSI, this study offers a privacy-preserving and robust approach for Wi-FI-based Re-ID, and it lays the foundation for future work in wireless biometric sensing,” the academics wrote. 

Scanary promises faster security checks and avoids biometrics

Israeli startup Scanary has unveiled a patented radar security-screening system capable of processing up to 25,000 people per hour across a 200-square meter area without physical contact or chokepoints. 

The technology flags hidden objects on individuals in motion, identifying potential threats in under two seconds and instantly notifying security teams. Under the development of Dr. Gideon Levita, a former senior radar engineer for Israel’s Iron Dome and Trophy systems, Scanary combines radar sensors with AI to scan crowds from as far as 10 meters away. 

The system has the potential to do away with pocket emptying and physical pat-downs, speeding up security checks at large-scale events and airports, for example, and complies with CE and GDPR requirements as it avoids face biometrics and preserves privacy, according to the company. 

Scanary uses patented electromagnetic imaging to generate three-dimensional views of concealed items, automatically distinguishing innocuous objects like phones or keys from weapons, including those made from non-metallic materials. Augmented reality overlays then pinpoint exact threat locations for rapid intervention.

Scanary has received regulatory approvals in Europe and is now pursuing clearance in the U.S. as it plans pilots in both Israel and the U.S. in the months ahead. The company was founded in 2024, comprises 10 employees and has raised $3.5 million in a pre-seed investing round. 

“By combining artificial intelligence, advanced imaging, and computer vision, we enable threat detection from a distance — without stopping people, creating queues, or compromising privacy,” said CEO Ronen Yeshvitz. 

Article Topics

biometric identifiers  |  biometrics  |  data privacy  |  reidentification  |  Scanary  |  video surveillance  |  WhoFi