"Ultrasonic" beacons are like any other beacon technology, whether audible, inaudible, bluetooth based or otherwise.
All a beacon does is transmit an identifier or URL. It isn't and CAN'T track you. It is just a simple one-way broadcast that is saying "X is here". You need an application that knows to listen for beacons an knows how to translate the identifier of the beacon.
For example, if Starbucks is using a beacon and you go near it with your phone, your phone will do nothing with that beacon unless you have the Starbucks app that is looking for Starbucks beacons so the app knows when you are near a Starbucks.
There is nothing nefarious about this....
Ultrasonic is just another method to achieve the same result, although it seems like a bad way of doing it since it is fairly obvious when your app is "listening" on iOS.
The article isn't about stores transmitting beacons that our devices pick up. It's about our devices transmitting beacons that are then picked up by anyone who cares to listen.
"The technology, called ultrasonic cross-device tracking, embeds high-frequency tones that are inaudible to humans in advertisements, web pages, and even physical locations like retail stores."
"any device microphone—like those accessed by an app on a smartphone or tablet—can detect the signal"
How is this any different from a bluetooth beacon being detected by a mobile app? You are just broadcasting the identifier in a different manner.
"Ultrasonic" beacons are like any other beacon technology, whether audible, inaudible, bluetooth based or otherwise.
All a beacon does is transmit an identifier or URL. It isn't and CAN'T track you. It is just a simple one-way broadcast that is saying "X is here". You need an application that knows to listen for beacons an knows how to translate the identifier of the beacon.
For example, if Starbucks is using a beacon and you go near it with your phone, your phone will do nothing with that beacon unless you have the Starbucks app that is looking for Starbucks beacons so the app knows when you are near a Starbucks.
There is nothing nefarious about this....
Ultrasonic is just another method to achieve the same result, although it seems like a bad way of doing it since it is fairly obvious when your app is "listening" on iOS.