Phone Tracking Threads.

• Phone Tracking Threads.
  • Number one threat: Wi-Fi scanning.
  • Number two threat: Your Apple ID and Google ID.
  • Number three threat: IP address tracking.
  • Number four threat: Wi-Fi triangulation.
  • Number five threat: Cell carrier tracking.

Phone Tracking Threads.

Borrowed from:

Number one threat: Wi-Fi scanning.

This is a very specific thing done by both Apple and Google to look for routers and their GPS locations. They then add every Wi-Fi router. They find into their database with a corresponding location. This information is the basis of Wi-Fi triangulation which I’ll talk about later and it’s used to find everyone’s exact location within six feet. Wi-Fi triangulation is the problem with this little feature Wi-Fi scanning is that in effect Google and Apple always know where you are since you are constantly stating to home base which Wi-Fi routers are near you now. Wi-Fi triangulation requires your permission to share it to third parties. But I want to clearly distinguish this from Wi-Fi scanning, which is the probe going out every second to look for existing Wi-Fi routers. I can tell you right now that there is no way to disable Wi-Fi scanning on iOS. In fact, as far as I know, the software is embedded in the Qualcomm chip firmware. This is not affected by your location permission settings, so Apple is able to tell your location habits, and in fact, it uses this to tell you: “you are five minutes from your destination”, without telling it your destination. It’s based on collected habits, and this is a supposed privacy phone. What a lie. So Apple knows where everyone is. This is true of any Apple device like an iPad ,iTouch or even a Mac being upfront with you. I would just leave my iOS device at home because it guarantees this Apple tracking. Find My Phone is very effective though you can block other people from seeing your location, and Find My Phone you cannot block Apple.

Now Google has Wi-Fi scanning too, in fact they invented it, so they’re the original worst offenders. But in newer versions of Android you can actually go to network settings and disable Wi-Fi scanning. So Wi-Fi scanning will stop Google, in theory, from tracking your every move like Apple. This doesn’t stop Google from collecting info on Wi-Fi routers, since that information is crowd-sourced. Though you may turn it off for yourself or your family, the mailman and the UPS delivery guy will collect that information from phones in their pocket. But it does stop Google from knowing where you are specifically if location permissions are turned off, which require Wi-Fi triangulation.

Here’s an interesting fact, Wi-Fi scanning does not exist in the Android Open Source Project or AOSP perhaps. They didn’t want to share the source code of how they scan for networks and send that information to Google. So clearly custom roms don’t have this issue. AOSP still has Wi-Fi triangulation, but again that is controlled by permissions.

Number two threat: Your Apple ID and Google ID.

And this is a big one. The first thing you’re required to do when you get your iOS device or your Google Android is to enter your ID. This is an email address on Google it’s a gmail account if you ever purchase any apps or do any in-app purchases, you will typically attach a credit card to this email. You buy subscriptions with it use it in itunes, and if you have Apple card then you pretty much attach at everything you do financially. So there is absolutely no anonymity with your ID at all. In the case of Google not only do they have your financial info, they also scan your email content, and this may also be attached to your YouTube activity, Google search, ways, so the tracking is horrendous. This is the number one thing I want to eliminate from a phone. The phone is basically an ID card meaning you’re chipped and any information tracked on the phone can be indexed by your real identity. I will tell you right now that there is no way to avoid this on iOS, so I’m giving up. An app on Google Android, this is also impossible, but it can be done, depending on how you set up an Android AOSP device.

Number three threat: IP address tracking.

IP address tracking is a very basic concern because of index to your real identity with a Google ID or Apple ID, then someone can see everything that you do on the internet. Especially with an Apple and Google this is very disturbing obviously, but I want to distinguish the different risks your home IP address is provided by your DSL carrier is the most dangerous to reveal, because it is unique to you, and typically this doesn’t change. It’s otherwise known as a static IP address. It’s not usually static in principle, but in reality that’s how it behaves. I want to contrast that to your activities while unsell data if you’re up and about your IP address will change depending on the cell tower, and your IP address on the go is transient, so you may have many IP addresses while on cell data this means that third parties will be unable to match an exact identity to the IP address. However the IP address you’re signed at any given moment is known by your cell carrier. But it’s not information that’s usually shared, unless asked for by law enforcement, and I don’t think this is the type of data they would normally sell, because there are too many changing values they can probably sell info on your internet traffic with your name directly, without using an IP address. But that’s a different story. In any case, at least this, is easily stopped have a VPN, especially at your home if a VPN is on that Apple and Google will in theory be blocked from knowing your real IP address. I say in theory, because if you’re using VPN software directly on the phone then the operating system can still know what the real IP address is, so the best solution is to have a VPN router, so the VPN is not in the software embedded on iOS and Android. I have videos on VPN routers, and this is an important part of your home security solution when you’re on the road a VPN will stop your carrier from knowing your info, and for that you need to use the installed VPN software on your phone. But even if you didn’t use it on road, Apple and Google will not know who you are. So even if you don’t use a VPN on the road a lot of detracting by third parties is not useful.

Number four threat: Wi-Fi triangulation.

I mentioned Wi-Fi triangulation at the beginning, and this has to be clearly delineated Wi-Fi triangulation is the exact positioning used based on the signal strength of the Wi-Fi routers now you this can accurately position you within six feet even if there’s no GPS signal like if you’re indoors. The good news about Wi-Fi triangulation is that it is controlled by permissions, meaning you can switch it off based on your location settings Wi-Fi triangulation is about sharing your location to third parties, meaning not Apple and Google. So if you turn location off, this will not be shared with others. The only complication with this is that iOS actually split the location permissions, so that it can give apps different permissions than the advertising that’s in the apps. So if not set right, you could end up with location still on for advertisers which is the default. I had a video from early last year that discussed the settings though it probably changed a little bit in newer iOS versions and without testing it’s hard to know if your app location settings override the advertising location settings. This confusing set up does not exist on Android, so there is pretty black and white, you review each app and all the permissions and fortunately this has become a lot easier to do on new versions of Android. The Wi-Fi triangulation issue exists on all Android and iOS even AOSP, so this means you still have to meticulously examine the location permissions for each app at all times in closed apps you’re not using if they have location permissions.

Number five threat: Cell carrier tracking.

Now this is impossible to evade with a standard cell phone. No cell phone is immune from your cell carrier tracking your location, and I have another video explaining all this tracking and possible hacks to your phone. Fortunately I perceive this more as a government threat and that’s not something the average person concerns themselves with usually. But it can be an occasional legit concern, like when attending protests and such, and for journalists. So the solution is simple if you’re doing something that you’d rather not have your government track you, turn off your phone completely or remove the SIM card, and that should be good enough for the occasional squashing of this threat. So what’s the clear solution to all this? Clearly several threats have no solution if you’re stuck to iOS and your Google Android. So you’ll have to give those up or leave the devices at home. The top solution is plainly a Linux phone and I mean get new Linux and not an Android.