Tag, You’re It: Physical Tracking Tech, Defense, and How to DIY Your Own

We live in an era where our location data is constantly harvested, but what happens when the tracking becomes physical? From the clandestine beacons of the Cold War to the consumer-grade AirTags tucked into backpacks today, physical tracking technology has become incredibly cheap, accessible, and pervasive.

In this talk, we will trace the evolution of physical tracking tech, analyze how modern implementations exploit wireless protocols like BLE, cellular, and GPS, and discuss practical defense strategies to detect and neutralize unwanted eyes.

Finally, we will demystify the threat by turning the tables: demonstrating how to build and deploy a fully functional, budget-friendly tracking beacon using off-the-shelf DIY hardware.

Attendees will leave with a deep understanding of the tracking landscape and the knowledge required to both defend against and build these systems.