Wireless Protocol Data and Privacy Concerns
The shoe sensor broadcasts a packet once a second while the user is walking or running, and for ten seconds after the user stops moving. Any other shock also causes the sensor to broadcast data. The protocol is not connection-oriented and can be easily sniffed. While most of the data is encrypted, a piece of the device's serial number is sent without encryption. This unique 32-bit number has been successfully used to identify specific Nike+ foot sensors. Uses of this technique include remote-operating a car lock, customer tracking, and stalking. The data sent by the device every second is cumulative, since the device was first used, and thus can be very revealing of a user's exercise habits and life in general. The data is: number of steps run, number of steps walked, distance run, distance walked, and number of hours device has been on.
Read more about this topic: Nike+i Pod
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