Security News > 2020 > May > FYI: Your browser can pick up ultrasonic signals you can't hear, and that sounds like a privacy nightmare to some

FYI: Your browser can pick up ultrasonic signals you can't hear, and that sounds like a privacy nightmare to some
2020-05-07 21:24

People can generally hear audio frequencies ranging from 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz, though individual hearing ranges vary.

Samuel Weiler, a web security engineer with MIT CSAIL and a member of the W3C's Privacy Interest Group, recently pushed to re-open a discussion about limiting the Web Audio API so that it cannot be used to generate or listen for ultrasonic signals without permission.

" to Web Audio and super-audible sounds, we're concerned because audio beyond human perception can be used for a variety of privacy harming purposes," said Snyder.

On a related note, the Brave browser recently added a small amount of randomization to various Web Audio APIs to reduce their utility for browser fingerprinting.

Whether or not the Web Audio Working Group decides to revisit the possibility of audio frequency-based permissions, those involved will have their hands full dealing with all other other unaddressed browser privacy worries.


News URL

https://go.theregister.co.uk/feed/www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/07/web_audio_api_ultrasonic_leaks/