Tuesday
May092017
Android apps secretly tracking users by listening to inaudible sound hidden in adverts
Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 08:18PM
Independent
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.
Reader Comments