Growing Eddystone with Ephemeral Identifiers: A Privacy Aware & Secure Open Beacon Format

Eddystone, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon format by Google, has been enhanced with the introduction of Ephemeral IDs (EID) to improve privacy and security by controlling access to beacon signals. Eddystone-EID allows for secure and private exchanges of information by using a periodically changing AES-encrypted identifier, making it accessible only to clients with authorized resolution services. This feature is implemented through the Proximity Beacon API and the Nearby API for Android and iOS, offering protection against various attacks and enabling features like proximity awareness and device authentication. The new Eddystone format also supports a wider beacon ecosystem with the addition of Beacon Tools for provisioning and registering beacons, and a common configuration protocol known as Eddystone GATT service, fostering an open environment for developers. Over 25 manufacturers now support Eddystone-EID, with applications spanning from secure luggage tracking by Samsonite to enhanced visitor experiences in museums like K11 in Hong Kong, and live sports events with Monumental Sports in Washington, DC.