A team of researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering has developed a simple and affordable way to detect hidden GPS trackers in vehicles—a breakthrough that could help protect victims of domestic abuse from being secretly followed.
GPS trackers are often used by abusers to monitor their partner’s or ex-partner’s movements without their knowledge.
These small devices can be hidden easily in or under a car, and until now, detecting them has required expensive equipment and expert knowledge. That’s left many victims without a way to protect their privacy and safety.
Led by Assistant Professor Danny Y. Huang, the NYU team wanted to change that. “Technology is often used in harmful ways, but very little has been done to create tools that help people fight back,” said Huang.
“This new method could give victims a real chance to take back their privacy.”
The new approach uses a small, handheld device called the tinySA, which costs around $150. It’s a tool usually used by amateur radio hobbyists to test antennas and wireless equipment.
Working with this device, the researchers created a special algorithm that can detect the very weak signals GPS trackers send to nearby cell towers—even when those signals are hidden in the background noise of everyday cellphone traffic.
Ph.D. candidate Mo Satt, who works under Huang and is also the Chief Information Security Officer at New York City’s Department of Sanitation, led the project. He will present the team’s findings at a major cybersecurity conference, USENIX VehicleSec, in Seattle in August 2025.
“We wanted to create something cheap and simple that could help people who are being tracked without their consent,” Satt explained.
The device works by scanning the LTE frequencies often used by GPS trackers. If a person drives with the device running and notices regular signal spikes afterward, that’s a strong sign that a hidden tracker may be present within a few feet of the device.
This new method could offer immediate help to some of the estimated 13.5 million stalking victims in the United States each year—80% of whom report being stalked using some kind of technology. In some tragic cases, this kind of surveillance has led to violence.
The NYU team is already working on ways to make the technology more accessible. Future plans include smartphone apps, automated in-car detection systems that alert the user if a tracker is found, and partnerships with domestic abuse support organizations. They’re also exploring a roadside-style service that could bring the detection tool directly to those in need.
This promising innovation could mark a turning point in helping people reclaim their freedom and safety from tech-enabled abuse.
