Holography with Dense Wireless Networks: A Case for Ethical Design

Radio Frequency (RF) sensing is an emerging technology paradigm to utilize electromagnetic signals scattered off objects or subjects for sensing. The technology repurposes existing wireless communication networks for imaging and computer vision applications, namely ambient human sensing. For communication systems (i.e., cellular, Wi-Fi), this results in a ubiquitous sensing infrastructure, able to "photograph" an environment, connect stimuli to a larger local, national or global picture, and to track subjects seamlessly. The possible social and ethical implications may be surprising and drastic and are currently underexplored. The article showcases promising research directions in this new field and lays the groundwork for ethically compliant technology design, highlighting the challenges and potential solutions that can stimulate new research.