Technical Study on Privacy in Wireless Networks
Item
Zotero
Abstract Note
"Executive Summary:
In the February 2014 Research Advisory Board (RAB) meeting at the Communications Research Centre (CRC), the research topic of wireless privacy in Canada was proposed and approved for a short-term investigation. Concerns over privacy for wireless services arise from the evolution of wireless technology combined with the omnipresence of telecom and Wi-Fi infrastructure. In this context, widespread wireless usage enables a real threat that intrusions and security breaches could compromise the privacy of Canadians.
This report contains results and findings of technical investigations, and provides recommendations for Industry Canada. In order to provide mobility, devices transmit system information that is required for proper functioning of the wireless and wired network and applications. Some system information, often referred to as metadata, indicates device identity. When metadata is collected from wireless devices over an extended period of time and is corroborated with known physical access location and time, usage patterns emerge that reveal information on the characteristics and preferences of the user.
When metadata collected from one source is merged or fused with other sources, a clearer picture is revealed on the behaviour and traits ofthe device owner. Over weeks and months, the fused information can, ultimately, be used to identify the user of the device and glean personal information. As consumers migrate towards electronic wallets and e-commerce, there is a concern that privacy breaches over wireless infrastructure may slow down or even inhibit the adoption ofthese new applications. The aspects of privacy under study by CRC concern the collection of wireless metadata that demonstrate patterns of activity and are used in fusion and processing to assemble personal information.
Also studied is the assessment of the protection level of users' communications. These studies provide the Department's Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications (SITT) sector with valuable information, while adding credible research sources to policy and partnership development. The scientific approach used was the identification of potential issues, documentation of issues, and demonstration of the ease in which current inexpensive technology can be deployed to invade privacy. Many topics addressed in this work merit a thorough R&D investigation within a longer-term project.
The following questions, concerning the state of wireless privacy today in Canada, have been addressed within the study: (open for details)"
In the February 2014 Research Advisory Board (RAB) meeting at the Communications Research Centre (CRC), the research topic of wireless privacy in Canada was proposed and approved for a short-term investigation. Concerns over privacy for wireless services arise from the evolution of wireless technology combined with the omnipresence of telecom and Wi-Fi infrastructure. In this context, widespread wireless usage enables a real threat that intrusions and security breaches could compromise the privacy of Canadians.
This report contains results and findings of technical investigations, and provides recommendations for Industry Canada. In order to provide mobility, devices transmit system information that is required for proper functioning of the wireless and wired network and applications. Some system information, often referred to as metadata, indicates device identity. When metadata is collected from wireless devices over an extended period of time and is corroborated with known physical access location and time, usage patterns emerge that reveal information on the characteristics and preferences of the user.
When metadata collected from one source is merged or fused with other sources, a clearer picture is revealed on the behaviour and traits ofthe device owner. Over weeks and months, the fused information can, ultimately, be used to identify the user of the device and glean personal information. As consumers migrate towards electronic wallets and e-commerce, there is a concern that privacy breaches over wireless infrastructure may slow down or even inhibit the adoption ofthese new applications. The aspects of privacy under study by CRC concern the collection of wireless metadata that demonstrate patterns of activity and are used in fusion and processing to assemble personal information.
Also studied is the assessment of the protection level of users' communications. These studies provide the Department's Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications (SITT) sector with valuable information, while adding credible research sources to policy and partnership development. The scientific approach used was the identification of potential issues, documentation of issues, and demonstration of the ease in which current inexpensive technology can be deployed to invade privacy. Many topics addressed in this work merit a thorough R&D investigation within a longer-term project.
The following questions, concerning the state of wireless privacy today in Canada, have been addressed within the study: (open for details)"
Date
2014
Extra
221 pages.
Publisher
Communications Research Centre Canada
Short Title
A-2018-00073_0001.pdf
Title
Technical Study on Privacy in Wireless Networks
Attachment Title
A-2018-00073_0001.pdf
Collection
Citation
Communications Research Centre Canada, “Technical Study on Privacy in Wireless Networks,” Deobfuscating State Surveillance, accessed December 3, 2024, https://surveillance.glendon.yorku.ca/items/show/910.