Yeah the note is wrong, they're not matching peoples addresses, for those you would need a warrant. Each of the devices have unique hardware ID elements they are simply matching. t. CompSci guy
What can be used to track devices like that?
You could do it entirely from the local towers (triangulation represented as a regional dataset on a map) but police depts etc also have gear like stingray cell site simulators to just directly snatch the data out of the air locally at an event. Lots of different hardware companies making similar.
https://sls.eff.org/technologies/cell-site-simulators-imsi-catchers
https://theintercept.com/2020/07/31/protests-surveillance-stingrays-dirtboxes-phone-tracking/
They tend to run em at major events, airports, etc. It's legal in the same way a flipper zero is. Like it's a crime to steal someone's car, but not intercept and clone the data of their wireless entry etc.
Only caught time to look all that up now. Interesting.
Would there be a way for private individuals to access technology that could enable them to track signatures of devices that enter or are located within the specific area? For example to be able to tell if a specific person who is present in the area based on their phone 'signature'?