Nike+iPod raises privacy concerns

This holiday season's popular gadgetry may have more sinister implications than simple toys. A project conducted by researchers in the UW's computer science and engineering department have uncovered a way for one of the season's hot items, the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, to be used as a potential tracking device.

The kit is intended as a workout accessory. A small piece is clipped to the athlete's shoe, which broadcasts information such as average speed, caloric usage and distance into a receiver that is plugged into the user's iPod Nano.

"Location ties into this in the sense that if someone has [the Sports Kit] in their shoe, as they walk around campus, the sensor in their shoe is broadcasting this unique signal," said Yoshi Kohno, a professor of computer science who oversaw the project. "Everyone's sensor has a unique number. If I know that number, I can detect its location."

This opens doors for many unsavory possibilities, including stalkers, Kohno said.

"It could be used by anyone who's interested in tracking a person's location," he said. "One of the examples we give is a boyfriend who wants to track where his girlfriend is, and he knows she has the Sports Kit he gave her."

Although the effort may seem impractical, it's simpler than one might think to track someone using the device.

"Really not much equipment [is required] at all," Kohno said. "One approach is to attach it to the serial port of your computer ... You could [also] purchase a Gumstix [micro-computer] for a couple hundred dollars. You download some software, follow the instructions and you immediately have the ability to detect."

The adverse properties of this and other electronics have yet to be addressed by their respective companies, although the companies likely don't have any malicious intent, Kohno said.

The project was headed by Scott Saponas as part of an assignment from the department. Saponas, who is an avid runner, questioned the privacy risk of the device when he purchased it for use in his workouts.

"It's an example of how new gadgetry can erode our personal privacy," Saponas said in a press release.

While the Nike+iPod Sports Kit was the focus of the project, Kohno said there could be other products that provide comparable privacy breaches, including BlueTooth wireless equipment.

"I think this begs the broader question," Kohno said. "Are we, and the companies, unknowingly compromising our personal privacy?"

A full copy of the students' report, including a playable video, can be found at [HTML_REMOVED]http://uwnews.washington.edu/ni/article.asp?articleID=28494[HTML_REMOVED].

Reporter Jeff Tripoli: jefftripoli@thedaily.washington.edu