Scientists in Germany have demonstrated a startling new form of surveillance: identifying people using nothing more than ordinary WiFi signals. By analyzing how radio waves bounce around a room, researchers can effectively “see” and recognize individuals — even if they are not carrying a device and even if their phone is turned off.
I’d bet the police apparatchik it’s been happening for a decade.
You’d probably be correct, the basic premise has been around since 2013
https://news.mit.edu/2013/new-system-uses-low-power-wi-fi-signal-to-track-moving-humans-0628
It definitely has. The retail industry has been using a version of it for at least four years that I know of.