Devlins also claims that Specter can find nearby microphones by detecting radio frequency (RF), but critics say that finding microphones through RF emissions is not effective unless the sensor is immediately next to it.
“If you could detect and identify components via RF the way Specter claims, it would be truly transformational in technology,” Jordan wrote in a text to WIRED after building a device to test the detection of RF signatures in microphones. “You’ll be able to do radio astronomy in Manhattan.”
Devilance is also looking at ways to integrate nonlinear junction detection (NLJD), a very high-frequency radio signal used by security professionals to find hidden mics and bugs. NLJD detectors are expensive and are primarily used in professional contexts such as military operations.
Even though a device can detect the exact location of a microphone, objects around a room can change the way frequencies spread and interact. The emitted frequencies can also be a problem. There have not been enough studies to show what effect ultrasonic frequencies have on the human ear, but some people and many pets can hear them and find them unpleasant or even painful. Baradari admits that her team needs to do more testing to see how pets are affected.
“They can’t do it,” engineer and YouTuber Dave Jones (who runs the EEVblog channel) wrote in an email to WIRED. “They’re using the classic trick of using words to make it seem like it will detect every type of microphone, when they’re probably just scanning for Bluetooth audio devices. It’s completely useless.” Baradari reiterated that Specter uses a combination of RF and Bluetooth low energy to locate microphones.
WIRED asked Baradari to share any evidence of Specter’s effectiveness in identifying and blocking microphones around a person. Baradari shared some short video clips of people listening to audio clips with their phones held to their ears – which were presumably jammed by Spectre – but these videos do little to prove that the device works.
future imperfect
Baradari takes the criticism seriously, acknowledging that the technology is still in development. “I really appreciate those comments, because they’re making me think and look at more things,” Baradari says. “I’m confident that these concerns can be addressed with the ideas we have and integrate into one device.”
People immediately mocked the Specter I online and called the technology a cone of silence dune. Now, the Devilance website reads, “Our goal is to make the cone of silence a reality.”
Citizen Lab cybersecurity researcher John Scott-Railton, a critic of the Specter I, praised the virality of the device as a sign of the real appetite for these types of gadgets to take back our privacy.
Scott-Railton says, “The silver lining of this explosion is that it’s a ringing moment that highlights how rapidly and intensely consumer attitudes toward mass recording devices have changed.” “We need to make products that do all the nice things that people want but that don’t have massive privacy- and consent-violations. You need device-level controls, and you need regulations on the companies that are doing this.”
Cooper Quintin, a senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, echoed those sentiments, even though critics believe Devlins’ efforts are flawed.
“If this technology works, it could be a boon for many people,” Quintin wrote in an email to WIRED. “It’s nice to see a company building something to protect privacy rather than working on new and creative ways to extract data from us.”
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