Latest News
SoniControl going worldwide
Only 3 weeks after the release of SoniControl app on the Play Store, we already got downloads from all over the world ! Thank you all for your interest !
App launch !
We are pleased to announce that SoniControl firewall app was released on the Google Play Store ! You can download it here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.ac.fhstp.sonicontrol The code can be seen and downloaded at this address: https://git.nwt.fhstp.ac.at/m.zeppelzauer/SoniControl And the documentation is on this website, under documentation. We are looking forward to your feedback !
Source code release
The source code of the SoniControl Application has been released publicly as a GIT project. You can download it from our website: sonicontrol.fhstp.ac.at under Ressources – Source Code. The code is released under GNU license. Everyone is welcome to contribute to our project. Get in contact with us!
SoniControl @ BMWFW Tag der offenen Tür
The project SoniControl will be presented at the “Tag der offenen Tür” of the Federal Ministry of Science, Research, and Economy on the Austrian National Holiday (26.10.2017). The project will be shown from 10am to 4pm! We hope to see you there to show you a demo of our prototype!
Meet SoniControl @ ARS Electronica 2017
The SoniControl Project will be presented at this year’s ARS Electronica festival from September 7 – 10. See our live demo of how ultrasonic communication works and how we detect and mask it! You can find us in Postcity Linz, first floor, Room No. 11. We are looking forward to see you there!
SoniControl Real-Time Detector Prototype finished
We have recently finished our real-time ultrasonic signal detector. The detector is able to detect different types of transmission technologies and is robust to various types of noise sources (e.g. broadband noise), music and speech artifacts. Now we will port it to native code and integrate it into our Android App!
234 Apps use ultrasonic tracking
A recent study of TU Brunswick (Germany) reveals that many more Apps than expected use ultrasonic information exchange. More: here. The study can be found here. The SoniControl Project Team members currently work on real-time audio processing methods that enable a robust detection of ultrasonic information.
Listen to ultrasonic communication!
We have compiled a set of ultrasonic audio recordings of different mobile apps including Google Nearby-based apps. Since ultrasonic sound is inaudible we have made the sounds visible (by computing spectrograms) and audible (by shifting their pitch to the audible range). The entire dataset can be downloaded under “Ressources” on the SoniControl webpage.
New SoniControl WIKI online!
We have published our SoniControl Wiki which contrains a comprehensive collection of links, literature and background information about ultrasonic communication technology. You find the Wiki under “Resources”!
SoniControl on TV
P3TV has compiled a TV report about the SoniControl project. The report can be found here!
About
Novel technologies like Google Nearby and Silverpush build upon ultrasonic sounds to exchange information. More and more of our devices communicate via this inaudible communication channel. Ultrasonic communication enables to pair devices, exchange information but also to track users and their behavior across several devices similar to cookies in the web. Every device with a microphone and a speaker is able to send and receive ultrasonic information. The user is usually not aware of this inaudible and hidden data transfer. To overcome this gap, within the project SoniControl we research the current capabilities of ultrasonic communication and raise awareness for this unknown communication channel. To date there is no technology available that detects ultrasonic communication and that enables the user to protect his or her privacy. We develop a mobile application that detects ultrasonic activity, notifies the user and blocks the information on demand. Thereby, we want to raise the awareness for this novel technology and help users to protect their privacy.
Check out our video for a short introduction of the project (in German)
PROJECT TEAM
Matthias Zeppelzauer
Peter Kopciak
Kevin Pirner
Alexis Ringot
Florian Taurer
Funded by
resources
Ultrasonic Communication WIKI
We have collected a comprehensive collection of literature about ultrasonic communication. Check out our WIKI and tell us if you miss something!
Ultrasonic Recordings
Download our collection of recorded ultrasonic sounds and see what our phones send and receive (visualizations included)
Source Code
Download the source code of our app and support us in the development of novel features.
Press
Radio
- Netidee prämiiert 23 Internet-Projekte, Ö1, 23.11.2017
- Smartphones am Lauschen hindern: Campus Talk mit Matthias Zeppelzauer zum Projekt SoniControl., Campus Radio FH St.Pölten, 21.08.2017
- Wie Ultraschallmaskierung Audiotracking verhindert, Deutschlandradio, 17.12.2016
- Handy-Tracking-Abwehr der FH St. Pölten, Ö1 Morgenjournal II, 16.12.2016
- Neues Projekt der FH St. Pölten: "SoniControl", Radio Niederösterreich Mittagsmagazin, 16.12.2016
- FH St. Pölten lässt mit interessanter Entwicklung aufhorchen, Radio Arabella Niederösterreich, 13.12.2016
- Digital.Leben - Ideen für das Internet Netidee Gala 2016, Ö1, 21.11.2016
TV
- Wenn das Handy heimlich zuhört, P3tv, 13.12.2016
Newspaper
- Erfolg für SoniTalk beim Netidee best of Event, FH St.Pölten, 27.11.2017
- Die Sieger des netidee Open Source Community Camps 2017, derbrutkasten.com, 27.11.2017
- Jung-Forscher zeigten Abhör-Schutz & Bio-Bildschirm, noen.at, 22.09.2017
- Lasst uns stören!, factorynet.at, 08.09.2017
- Projekt SoniControl – Audiotracking durch Smartphones, land-der-erfinder.at, 31.08.2017
- FH St. Pölten beim Ars-Electronica-Festival, MeinBezirk.at, 17.08.2017
- How smartphone apps spy on users by listening to inaudible signals, techworld.com, 14.08.2017
- SoniControl: FH St. Pölten will heimliches Audiotracking stoppen , factorynet.at, 09.01.2017
- Online-Helden: Initiativen für ein „besseres“ Internet, Der Brutkasten, 22.12.2016
- Damit das Handy nicht mehr mithört, Die Presse, 16.12.2017
- FH St. Pölten - Wenn das Handy heimlich zuhört, noen.at, 15.12.2016
- Unser Handy hört heimlich zu, scinexx.de, 8.12.2016
- App soll Audiotracking auf dem Smartphone verhindern, PC Welt, 8.12.2016
- App soll Audiotracking auf dem Smartphone verhindern, Macwelt, 8.12.2016
- App soll „Spion Handy“ zur Strecke bringen, Computerwoche, 8.12.2016
- Gläserne User durch Audio-Cookies: App der FH St. Pölten schafft Abhilfe, Der neue Mann, 8.12.2016
- Dem Handy die Ohren zuhalten , business-panorama.de, 7.12.2016
- Wenn das Handy heimlich zuhört: Abwehr ungewollten Audiotrackings durch akustische Cookies, innovations-report.de, 7.12.2016
- Fachhochschule St. Pölten entwickelt Handy-App gegen heimliches Audiotracking, derStandard.at, 7.12.2016
- Gläserne User durch Audio-Cookies: App der FH St. Pölten schafft Abhilfe , Horizont, 7.12.2016
- Wenn das Handy heimlich zuhört: Abwehr ungewollten Audiotrackings durch akustische Cookies, Extrem News, 7.12.2016
- Wenn das Handy heimlich zuhört, orf.at, 7.12.2016
- Platz 1 für SoniControl bei Wettbewerb der netidee, FH St.Pölten, 22.11.2016