A new generation of ambient Internet of Things technology is emerging as a possible answer to rising cargo theft, as losses across North America reached nearly $725 million in 2025.
Wiliot, a visibility technology company focused on the supply chain sector, says its ambient IoT platform gives each product a digital identity and can detect theft, diversion and handling issues in real time as freight moves through the network.
Amir Khoshniyati, vice president at Wiliot, said the Internet of Things, and especially what the company calls Ambient IoT, is entering a new phase. He said devices with sensing capabilities are now at an all-time high, making it possible to achieve real-time visibility not just on location and temperature, but also on humidity, light and other conditions that can affect cargo integrity.
Founded in 2017, Wiliot develops battery-free, paper-thin Bluetooth tags that can be embedded into products to provide real-time visibility throughout the supply chain. The company is headquartered in Israel and has major operations in San Diego.
The timing is significant. According to a recent report from Verisk CargoNet, 3,594 supply chain crime events were recorded in the US and Canada in 2025. Confirmed cargo theft incidents rose 18% year on year, while the average theft value increased 36% to $273,990, driven by organised criminal groups targeting higher-value freight. Total losses from cargo theft reached almost $725 million.
Khoshniyati said several structural shifts are making supply chains more vulnerable, including the growth of e-commerce and the increasing complexity of distribution networks. He added that the problem is not always traditional cargo theft, but also diversion and wider breakdowns in supply chain processes. In many cases, he said, grey-market diversion and weak process control among distributors and 3PLs are becoming more common.
Traditional cargo tracking often relies on trailer-level GPS, which can create visibility gaps when freight is moved, misrouted or mishandled inside warehouses or distribution centres. Wiliot’s ambient IoT system instead uses battery-free sensor tags that can detect location, movement, temperature and other conditions at pallet, case or item level.
Asked how quickly the system can detect a problem, Khoshniyati said the answer is instant. If a pallet is loaded onto the wrong truck or moved to the wrong location, the platform can alert staff immediately, allowing them to correct the issue before it turns into a financial loss. He said the sector is moving into a predictive era.
Beyond theft prevention, item-level tracking could also help reduce disputes between shippers, logistics providers and insurers by creating a detailed record of where and when freight moved through the chain.
Food and beverage products were the most targeted cargo category in 2025, with 708 thefts, up 47% from 2024. Metals theft rose 77%, according to CargoNet.
Wiliot believes ambient IoT could eventually become a standard security layer across supply chains. Khoshniyati said this level of visibility and assurance could become foundational, especially when integrated with warehouse management systems, enterprise software and blockchain-based verification tools.
