📡 6G May Be Able to Detect People Through Walls — And Privacy Experts Are Alarmed

The next generation of mobile networks won’t just transmit data. Under development for the 2030s, 6G is expected to integrate Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) — a technology that combines wireless communications with radar-like sensing.

According to Germany’s Data Protection Conference (Datenschutzkonferenz), ISAC could allow networks to detect people through walls and remotely measure breathing and heart rate. Combined with machine learning, the system may also identify individuals by analyzing their gait, gestures, posture, and even facial movements.

The privacy concern is obvious: anyone within the network’s coverage could potentially be sensed, making meaningful user consent nearly impossible.

Researchers at the Barkhausen Institut in Dresden are already working on countermeasures. Their proposed solutions include a hardware switch to disable sensing functions on compatible devices and a mobile app capable of detecting when surrounding space is being scanned. The concepts are expected to be presented at an international expert meeting in September 2026.

Germany has invested around €700 million into 6G research, with commercial deployment widely expected around 2030.

Source: https://www.datenschutzkonferenz-online.de/ and https://www.barkhauseninstitut.org

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