Copyright indiatimes
A new study by IIT Delhi has found that Android apps with precise location access can gather far more information than users expect by analysing low-level GPS signals. The research shows that apps can infer whether a person is indoors or outdoors, in a crowded space, and even understand room structures and user activities, without using the phone’s camera or microphone. The findings raise privacy concerns as any app with fine-grained location permission may be able to extract sensitive details without explicit user awareness, a TOI report stated.What the study foundResearchers analysed subtle fluctuations in GPS data — including signal strength, noise and frequency shifts — to understand a user’s environment and behaviour. This goes beyond typical navigation uses and taps into continuous GPS signals that smartphones already receive in the background.The study was conducted by MTech student Soham Nag and Prof Smruti R Sarangi from IIT Delhi’s Centre of Excellence in Cyber Systems and Information Assurance and the computer science and engineering department.Their system, called AndroCon, uses nine low-level GPS parameters like Doppler shift, multipath interference and power variations to detect user activity and context. It can identify whether a person is sitting, standing, lying down, walking, travelling in a metro or on a flight, or staying in a crowded location. It can also tell if a room is empty or occupied.How the system worksThe team combined traditional signal processing with machine learning to convert noisy GPS inputs into detailed insights. The framework can map indoor spaces such as rooms and staircases with an error of less than four metres, using only GPS patterns and movement paths.Live Events"Across a year-long study covering 40,000 sq km and several smartphone models, AndroCon achieved up to 99% accuracy in identifying surroundings and more than 87% accuracy in recognising human activities — even subtle gestures like hand movements near the phone," said Prof Smruti R Sarangi.Privacy risk highlightedWhile the system can help create context-aware applications without using intrusive sensors, the researchers caution that it also exposes a privacy gap. Any Android app with precise location access could potentially extract contextual data without user consent."This study reveals an unseen side of GPS — a silent yet powerful sensing channel," Prof Sarangi added. "AndroCon turns an ordinary smartphone into an unexpectedly precise scientific instrument, and a reminder that even familiar technologies can hold hidden risks when misused."The study has been published in ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks.Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) Read More News onapps trackingIIT DelhiAndroid appsprivacy concernslocation trackingGPS data privacy (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online....moreless (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onapps trackingIIT DelhiAndroid appsprivacy concernslocation trackingGPS data privacy(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online....moreless Prime ExclusivesInvestment IdeasStock Report PlusePaperWealth Edition123View all Stories
