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Apple: Android is a tracking device [pdf]

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Re: Apple: Android is a tracking device [pdf]

#41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The positive side to tracking and a cell layer anecdote - cell layer forensics are often utilized in search and rescue contexts. I have seen this data accessed (through legal procedure in the US) and utilized to save lives of the missing and to provide closure to the families/friends of the missing.

On the flipside e.g. in Germany this has been used to track down creators of illegal graffiti, using a law that is intended for terrorism and other heavy crimes. We can allow search and rescue missions without having to also accept abuse of power.

Can you reference anywhere where that happened because I've never heard of that and would expect huge pushback in Europe in general..

Re: Apple: Android is a tracking device [pdf]

#44
post #33

I'd rather have Apple's hypocritical "only we may spy on our users" approach than Google's. But anyway, I use GrapheneOS.

Why is Apple's approach better and what is really different?

I don't think you really need this explained to you.

Re: Apple: Android is a tracking device [pdf]

#45

I love that the presentation was called "..._Final.key". Even the best business people haven't solved that problem.

It's a whole thing, right?

There EXIST tools to do versioning of office docs, same as they do with code, but there's almost zero usage of them in offices.

Re: Apple: Android is a tracking device [pdf]

#46
post #12

This is so crazy to see. Usually when Apple faces the public, everything is super curated to sound pro-consumer, even if its anti-consumer. Sure this PDF doesnt venture far from it, they still paint Apple in the prettiest picture, but the terminology shows that Apple is basically doing the same thing as google but with slightly different methods to blur it. Heck, we don't actually know what is going on inside an iPho…

I always felt Apple pivoted to 'privacy' when they saw they had missed the race to harvest and monetise personal information.

That doesn't really bear scrutiny.

Apple has always been a hardware company. Even before the ad economy online, they were a hardware company.

Google was always a "harvest and monetize data" company.

Re: Apple: Android is a tracking device [pdf]

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The positive side to tracking and a cell layer anecdote - cell layer forensics are often utilized in search and rescue contexts. I have seen this data accessed (through legal procedure in the US) and utilized to save lives of the missing and to provide closure to the families/friends of the missing.

On the flipside e.g. in Germany this has been used to track down creators of illegal graffiti, using a law that is intended for terrorism and other heavy crimes. We can allow search and rescue missions without having to also accept abuse of power.

All this and the parent comment means is that any tool that is useful, is equally useful for good or bad. It is yet another example showing how it's wrong to address something bad by attacking the tool used to do it.

Re: Apple: Android is a tracking device [pdf]

#49
post #21
post #2

All smartphones are. There's only so much you can do to cover your track. There's most likely always someone knowing where you are if your phone is powered on (or even powered off with Apple Find My network). https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/07/ios-15-find-my-network-can-fi...

Forget about all the app and OS, maybe they're clean and maybe not. There's also the cell layer, which constantly negotiates with cell towers for sector and power as normal idling. So they know your location at least to tower (CGI), sector and delay (CGITA) and sometimes trilaterated (UTDOA) from ~1000m down to 10m accuracy. The towers' base station controllers need to keep logs anyway, so the cell company has record…

And when the SIM card will be gone, isn’t it gone already in USA for iPhones, you won’t even have the ability to remove that SIM. And you can be tracked all the time. Because we are already there - your phone is switched of but not really switched off.
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