Google Will Track Your Location 'Every 15 Minutes'–'Even with GPS Disabled'

Re:Google Will Track Your Location 'Every 15 Minutes'–'Even ... by robcohen on Monday October 07, 2024 @12:16PM (#41767535)

I'm very confident this just isn't possible. If you want something with 4G/5G, you just cannot get open hardware. Without open hardware this is a moot point. There are a number of projects where you can use RISC-V hardware with 2G and even 3G open source hardware, but calling them equivalent in any way to an Android or iPhone is a... stretch.

I think the issue is the patents with the hardware needs to run out, but by then 6G or 7G will be out and you'll have the same problem. Anything with DMA that isn't closed source cannot be trusted. I'll die on that hill.

Even with projects like PinePhone, the best they can do is a privacy switch that turns off the modem. It's just not good enough to take it seriously.

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Re:Google Will Track Your Location 'Every 15 Minutes'–'Even ... by JPLeRouzic on Monday October 07, 2024 @12:49PM (#41767979)

I don't think it's a question of open hardware: To send a phone call to your phone, the mobile network must know the BTS/eNodeB/GnodeB associated with your phone.

While this is a large surface in rural areas and older technologies, it's not the same in urban/newer technologies. It could easily be associated with a given building.

To protect our location, it would need something akin to a mobile proxy that would relay the communication but to my knowledge, there are no such things for mobile communications. And this is not really secure, it's just outsourcing security to another entity which may be be compromised.

(I am quite rusty, but I was a telecom engineer)

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