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US cell carriers are selling access to real-time phone location data

zdnet.com

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Re: US cell carriers are selling access to real-time phone location data

#601

Post by willstrafach »

Ntrails wrote: post #563
random6547545 wrote: post #44

Throwaway account. I work in location / mapping / geo. Some of us have been waiting for this to blow (which it hasn't yet). The public has zero idea how much personal location data is available. It's not just your cell carrier. Your cell phone chip manufacturer, GPS chip manufacturer, phone manufacturer and then pretty much anyone on the installed OS (android crapware) is getting a copy of your location data. Usually…

> That's why Apple is trying hard to restrict it without scaring off consumers. Do you have any details on this?

No, that is an entirely different matter regarding far more precise location information.

Re: US cell carriers are selling access to real-time phone location data

#602

Post by ende »

cryoshon wrote: post #579
noir_lord wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, that's on the simpler end of the spectrum, they can/could be far more insidious and subtle. It's horrible but beyond supporting ORG, EFF and writing to my MP (I'm in the UK) not sure what else I can do, even if I protect myself from it my family and friends are still potentially fucked.

show up to a protest. bring your family and friends. encourage everyone to boycott american companies.

It’s not just American companies.

Re: US cell carriers are selling access to real-time phone location data

#603

Post by bootlooped »

8_hours_ago wrote: post #488
aarongray wrote: post #474

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the ACLU did a report a while back and Cricket Wireless was the best large ish cell phone provider. Provider comparison: https://privacysos.org/blog/how-long-does-my-phone-company-s... Study details: https://privacysos.org/blog/att-stores-either-five-or-twenty...

Cricket's Privacy Policy looks much better than T-Mobile's or Google Fi's: "We will not sell your personal information to anyone, for any purpose. Period." https://www.cricketwireless.com/privacy But they also say that they may share personal information (which may include location??) to 3rd parties with user "consent": "Do you share my Personal Information with other companies for them to market to me? We may share…

I think a big question is since Cricket is an MVNO that runs on AT&T's network, is AT&T able to sell a Cricket customer's location data?

Re: US cell carriers are selling access to real-time phone location data

#604

Post by chatmasta »

gergles wrote: post #589
chatmasta wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every app that has access to nearby WiFi SSIDs (or even just the one you’re connected to) can also turn this data into location data. In fact I don’t think that is even a gated permission on iOS.

This isn't a user-gated permission but an Apple-gated one. Apps can't retrieve the nearby SSID list unless they have the "Hotspot Helper" entitlement from Apple. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension/n...

Good to know, but that’s only marginally better, as a malicious app developer only needs to come up with a legitimate reason for the entitlement.

Re: US cell carriers are selling access to real-time phone location data

#605

Post by facetube »

jakeogh wrote: post #596
sp332 wrote: post #583

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With everyone's phones receiving and parsing that, batteries would die very quickly.

Pagers parse every single page. They only alert you when it's to your address. /napkin is just that, if you designed the protocol this would be very doable. The receiver can passively listen quite cheaply energy wise. This is nothing like decoding a video stream.

And ethernet and 802.11 receive every frame, whether it's addressed to the equipment or not.

Re: US cell carriers are selling access to real-time phone location data

#606

Post by willstrafach »

chillingeffect wrote: post #113
baxtr wrote: post #17

What if I as an European visit the states? Am I protected by through some agreements with my local provider or even GDPR?

Through FISA, all foreigners are legal monitorable, no matter what. This is part of how US mass surveillance works. We record everything and if it turns out to be a citizen, we're supposed to throw it out. Of course in reality, it goes to the Parallel Construction Department who uses the information to build a case against someone through other means, knowing the answer in advance.

> Of course in reality, it goes to the Parallel Construction Department

Not the case. US Person Information cannot be queried. You are referring to a practice used against foreign targets to obfuscate methods of surveillance (Reasonable folks can object to this as well of course - my only point is that your portrayal is not accurate).

Re: US cell carriers are selling access to real-time phone location data

#607

Post by lallysingh »

mygo wrote: post #582
lallysingh wrote: post #358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Screw that. Put together a consumer stalking website, sell the data directly. Advertise, make tons of money, and let the outrage from that bring light to the entire industry.

To get initial traction, you can even call it “where’s waldo” to get the publicity of a trademark suit. go for broke — you’d be going to jail anyway once any meaningful legislation is put into place

The point is to encourage legislation. So happily shut down on a pile of money.

Re: US cell carriers are selling access to real-time phone location data

#609

Post by willstrafach »

stevehawk wrote: post #34
izacus wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now you've created a corporate Big Brother, who is hell bent on pure profits and doesn't even have to answer to you in the elections. Is that better?

Yes? Government Big Brother can put me in jail just because a cell phone record said I was near a crime while being committed. Corporate Big Brother can only make money from me.

> Corporate Big Brother can only make money from me. reply

Equifax is a private corporation yet can do more harm than just making money, with little accountability.

Re: US cell carriers are selling access to real-time phone location data

#610

Post by facetube »

Theodores wrote: post #377
metalliqaz wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Last I heard, buying a "burner" phone in this way has been outlawed in many states.

I have been 'caught' buying a burner phone - many years ago - and since then I have thought about why it is that anyone can buy a burner phone without having to produce their mother's birth certificate and many years of bank statements. You would think 'terrorists' and drug dealers should be banned from such purchases. However, if you have a burner phone for whatever reason, you are tracked and it is a relatively sim…

I buy burner phones and SIMs all day every day as test equipment because I develop for mobile equipment. Sue me, assholes.
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