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Mobile carriers can get your GPS location

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Re: Mobile carriers can get your GPS location

#11

Post by Plasmoid2000ad »

tekla wrote: post #4

How is this news? Why wouldn't carriers be able to ask your phone about what it thinks its location is?

Why would they? It's basic privacy no? Just because I want to pay money to carrier to provide me with data and phone service, I shouldn't have to give up my location from my device. I expect them to know my approximate location from cell tower data.

Generally I'd not expect them actively triangulate my exact location, but I'd realise that's at least possible - but GPS data, wake my phone up, switch on the GPS radio, drain it's battery, send that data back... no. That wouldn't be legal where I live either, let alone expected.

Re: Mobile carriers can get your GPS location

#13

Post by tekla »

mcny wrote: post #5
tekla wrote: post #4

How is this news? Why wouldn't carriers be able to ask your phone about what it thinks its location is?

No, please read the article. No one is saying carriers cant triangulate but carriers shouldn't be able to query the gps on my device and get precise GNSS data. > Apple made a good step in iOS 26.3 to limit at least one vector of mass surveillance, enabled by having full control of the modem silicon and firmware. They must now allow users to disable GNSS location responses to mobile carriers, and notify the user when…

I did read the article fine, thanks for asking.

The crux of the argument seems to come from this

> It’s worth noting that GNSS location is never meant to leave your device. GNSS coordinates are calculated entirely passively.

OK so? The fact that GPS is calculated passively means nothing about the phone being asked what its position is after the fact.

The article admits this capability is no secret

> These capabilities are not secrets but somehow they have mostly slid under the radar of the public consciousness.

If the article just wants to say phones should block that ability, fine. But don't pretend this is some shady BS.

Re: Mobile carriers can get your GPS location

#15

Post by Etheryte »

kayodelycaon wrote: post #3

Emergency services (with the proper software) have been able to get your precise location from your phone for a while now. This isn’t a new capability and shouldn’t be surprising.

None of this should be happening without the user's knowledge and consent. Swap out your phone carrier for Facebook and it should be plainly obvious why the current state of affairs is undesirable.

Re: Mobile carriers can get your GPS location

#18

Post by hammock »

michaelt wrote: post #14
kayodelycaon wrote: post #3

Emergency services (with the proper software) have been able to get your precise location from your phone for a while now. This isn’t a new capability and shouldn’t be surprising.

Surely that only happens when the phone user dials 911 ?

How would that work?

Re: Mobile carriers can get your GPS location

#20

Post by tekla »

Plasmoid2000ad wrote: post #11
tekla wrote: post #4

How is this news? Why wouldn't carriers be able to ask your phone about what it thinks its location is?

Why would they? It's basic privacy no? Just because I want to pay money to carrier to provide me with data and phone service, I shouldn't have to give up my location from my device. I expect them to know my approximate location from cell tower data. Generally I'd not expect them actively triangulate my exact location, but I'd realise that's at least possible - but GPS data, wake my phone up, switch on the GPS radio,…

> but GPS data, wake my phone up, switch on the GPS radio, drain it's battery, send that data back... no. That wouldn't be legal where I live either, let alone expected.

Where does the article claim this turns on the GPS if off?

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