When we think about the ways we can be tracked, you might think of technology such as GPS, cookies, your IP address, geotagging, and more. However we’re pretty sure that not many of you guys have considered the possibility that your smartphone’s battery could actually be used to track your activity.
According to a report from The Guardian, it seems that a group of researchers have discovered that smartphone batteries could be used as a means to track your activity online. This is thanks to a HTML5 specification that allows websites to determine the amount of battery left on your phone, which ideally would result in that website delivering content that would take up as little power as possible.
However the fact that it does not require the user’s permission to access battery data means that it can be used without the user’s knowledge entirely. This information includes how long the battery has left to discharge and remaining battery capacity, which when combined could be used as a unique identifier.
Of course this won’t reveal information such as your name, your email, or your location, but because of its unique identifier, your activity can still be tracked although you will be anonymous to a certain extent. The semi-good news is that because this information is updated every 30 seconds, it means that whoever is tracking you can only do so for 30 seconds before the information changes again.
It’s not exactly a security risk but for those who are huge on privacy, this is definitely something worth thinking about.