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Detection of hidden cellular GPS vehicle trackers

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11–20 of 118 posts

Re: Detection of hidden cellular GPS vehicle trackers

#11

These efforts are commendable, but by and large I think our location data is just a commodity by now and it is best not to assume you can reliably hide your location permanently and reliably without spending a lot of effort. Not that I'd find that idea pleasant, I just think the ship has sailed.

This looks like security (or privacy) nihilism: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27897975

Re: Detection of hidden cellular GPS vehicle trackers

#12

These efforts are commendable, but by and large I think our location data is just a commodity by now and it is best not to assume you can reliably hide your location permanently and reliably without spending a lot of effort. Not that I'd find that idea pleasant, I just think the ship has sailed.

That ship is more than capable of being put back in a bottle with enough political will. We just need to come together enough to get the message heard.

Re: Detection of hidden cellular GPS vehicle trackers

#13
post #3

Interesting research, but the paper does not address the contribution to the arms race of good vs bad. The criminals will likely use this technique to find legitimate car trackers before stealing the vehicle.

At least for motorbikes, the tactic is to abandon a stolen vehicle for a while after the theft to see if anyone comes for it, then take it to home base. I'd guess it all comes down to how professional an operation you're dealing with, last week a haul was recovered due to a tracker: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1denv9eg6wo

Re: Detection of hidden cellular GPS vehicle trackers

#15
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that's not related to flock safety (company) is it?

Yep. Their brand of ALPR cameras have spread like a plague very quickly all over the US

I noticed that in Abrego Garcia's recent indictment they were able to figure out he was in 2022 based on ALPR pulls that showed he was actually putzing around Texas. My understanding was most ALPRs were being stored for no more than 30 days but apparently that isn't the case, since it appears they did not start to build the trafficking case until this year.

Re: Detection of hidden cellular GPS vehicle trackers

#16

These efforts are commendable, but by and large I think our location data is just a commodity by now and it is best not to assume you can reliably hide your location permanently and reliably without spending a lot of effort. Not that I'd find that idea pleasant, I just think the ship has sailed.

This isn't a generic data privacy counter-measure or concern. This is specifically targeted against stalking, which is pretty much one of only a few cases where this kind of thing would be used against you. Specifically the case where the perpetrator will place a device in or on the victim's car.

Sure, but the stalking issue is a subset of the generic data privacy issue or do you believe you can hide from a stalker if everyone else under the sun knows you location. It might be too difficult to use location data brokers for stalking[1] but the whole economy around them makes the app ecosystem weak against location privacy and makes it easy to use a manipulated app for stalking. No special devices needed and certainly no cellular devices needed.

https://xkcd.com/538/

[1] Even though data brokers have been used to find out the medications of a German MP, for example. https://www.techradar.com/news/even-your-deleted-secret-web-...

Re: Detection of hidden cellular GPS vehicle trackers

#17

These efforts are commendable, but by and large I think our location data is just a commodity by now and it is best not to assume you can reliably hide your location permanently and reliably without spending a lot of effort. Not that I'd find that idea pleasant, I just think the ship has sailed.

This looks like security (or privacy) nihilism: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27897975

The security nihilism is thinking you'd need special hardware to stalk someone, when a malicious app on the victims phone does the job.

Re: Detection of hidden cellular GPS vehicle trackers

#19
post #12

These efforts are commendable, but by and large I think our location data is just a commodity by now and it is best not to assume you can reliably hide your location permanently and reliably without spending a lot of effort. Not that I'd find that idea pleasant, I just think the ship has sailed.

That ship is more than capable of being put back in a bottle with enough political will. We just need to come together enough to get the message heard.

Sure. But hardware trackers is the least of our problems. We'd need a hard crackdown on location privacy in mobile operating systems and the app ecosystem. Good luck with mobilizing enough "political will" when the economic interests of a whole industry is affected.
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