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Nike+iPod Sport Kit Reportedly Vulnerable to Surveillance

Microsoft's old tag line: "Where Do You Want To Go Today?
Apple's new tag line: "We Know Where You Went Today."
 
Bah. I can't even be bothered to read to the end of the thread about this nonsense. What's next, a press release announcing the danger of not securing your iPod headphones? Just think, if someone held on to the end of your headphone cable they could use it to follow you from several feet away EVEN IN THE DARK :eek:
 
b0ned0me said:
Bah. I can't even be bothered to read to the end of the thread about this nonsense. What's next, a press release announcing the danger of not securing your iPod headphones? Just think, if someone held on to the end of your headphone cable they could use it to follow you from several feet away EVEN IN THE DARK :eek:
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lol nobody's safe anymore!!!:eek: :p
 
Flowbee said:
I can't wait to hear about all of your fun ideas for tracking someone who's only 60 feet away. :confused:
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The 60 foot range limitation doesn't make this exploit pointless, as many in this thread have implied. The technology allows tracking of people who are known to pass certain points, like the doorway of a building or along a certain jogging path. Since the tracking can be automatic, the "spy" doesn't have to be personally within 60 feet of the "victim". Instead, the victim need only pass within 60 feet of any of the surveillance sensors the spy has planted.

So it's reasonable to make the point that this technique wouldn't be worth the trouble because other methods of tracking people are at least as effective and have larger ranges, but it's less reasonable to say that Nike tracking is of no concern because people can see other people when they are 60 feet away.
 
Doctor Q said:
The 60 foot range limitation doesn't make this exploit pointless, as many in this thread have implied. The technology allows tracking of people who are known to pass certain points, like the doorway of a building or along a certain jogging path. Since the tracking can be automatic, the "spy" doesn't have to be personally within 60 feet of the "victim". Instead, the victim need only pass within 60 feet of any of the surveillance sensors the spy has planted.

So it's reasonable to make the point that this technique wouldn't be worth the trouble because other methods of tracking people are at least as effective and have larger ranges, but it's less reasonable to say that Nike tracking is of no concern because people can see other people when they are 60 feet away.
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It's not really an 'exploit' per say, the device is doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing. It's not even a particularly original problem since RFID chips have been around for a few years and are much smaller, cheaper, and can do the exact same thing.

The story is sensationalism at best in my view, using the popularity of the iPod and Nike+ device as a way to scare people.
 
Doctor Q said:
So it's reasonable to make the point that this technique wouldn't be worth the trouble because other methods of tracking people are at least as effective and have larger ranges, but it's less reasonable to say that Nike tracking is of no concern because people can see other people when they are 60 feet away.
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I'm not sure what part of my post implies that I think this issue is of no concern. I am skeptical, however, that the poster I was replying to will actually find many "fun" ways to exploit it.
 
Flowbee said:
I'm not sure what part of my post implies that I think this issue is of no concern. I am skeptical, however, that the poster I was replying to will actually find many "fun" ways to exploit it.
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I'm sorry for my mistaken interpretation.

Perhaps we should help Antares by thinking of new and inventive ways to use this tracking ability. They don't have to be evil purposes.

For example, it would come in handy when planning a surprise party. "The sensor at the gate has been tripped - everybody needs to take their hiding places!"

Or it could be used to track shoes stolen at the gym. When you come running out of the building saying "which way did the thief go?", somebody who routinely tracks everyone near that building would be able to say "they went thataway!"

Or how 'bout a customer recognition system at the shoe store? When a customer walks in wearing transmitting Nikes, the store clerk can check if they are a repeat customer, see a display of their name, and say "Hi, Mr. Smith. Welcome back!" with a big smile. That could help make another sale. If their shoe ID wasn't already in the computer when the customer made a purchase, they would note it for the next time.
 
Can you be recognized from 60 feet away?

Using technology available to virtually everyone, it is possible to accurately identify individuals from as far away as sixty feet! The "eyeball" (with the included "optic nerve interface") provides this capability. Forget the Nike + iPod Sport Pack with its wireless link, the "eyeball" communicates directly to your brain! Using these surveilance tools you can identify anyone using only a photograph or in some cases an artist's drawing.

This technology is currently being used by the police, FBI, CIA and agencies of foreign governments to track individuals of interest to them. No one is invisible!

Not sold in any store; your distance may vary from the report above. Coming soon: the binocular attachment. Increased surveilance distance!
 
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