Proximity Inference with Wifi-Colocation during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: In this work we propose a WiFi colocation methodology for digital contact tracing. The approach works by having a device scan and store nearby access point information to perform proximity inference. We make our approach resilient to different practical scenarios by configuring a device to turn into a hotspot if access points are unavailable, which makes the approach feasible in both dense urban areas and sparse rural places. We compare various shortcomings and advantages of this work over other conventional ways of doing digital contact tracing. Preliminary results indicate the feasibility of our approach for determining proximity between users, which is relevant for improving existing digital contact tracing and exposure notification implementations.