GPS Glitched Across US by as Much as 33 Feet. Scientists Have Never Seen Before

Re:GPS Glitched Across US by as Much as 33 Feet. Scientists ... by Aurornis on Thursday September 03, 2026 @09:27PM (#49559404)

GPS is not that accurate even on a good day. A small device attached to someone’s ankle with a small antenna and an obstructed view of the sky will frequently be registering locations outside of the footprint of someone’s house.

A single 33 foot anomaly is already within the geofence buffer zones used. In dense urban areas the geofence buffer allowance may be 10X that already.

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Re:GPS Glitched Across US by as Much as 33 Feet. Scientists ... by brewdad on Friday September 04, 2026 @12:46AM (#49560629)

It should be treated that way but we’re talking about elected prosecutors who are itching for an excuse to put people in prison rather than looking “soft on crime” by allowing people to live under house arrest.

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Re:GPS Glitched Across US by as Much as 33 Feet. Scientists ... by Aurornis on Friday September 04, 2026 @09:40AM (#49564486)

No, I’m saying it’s literally treated like that with a buffer zone. That’s how these systems work.

If people were getting arrested every time their GPS tracker was recording a ping 33 feet from the center of their house, nobody would ever survive house arrest.

This is a basic reality of using GPS.

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Re:GPS Glitched Across US by as Much as 33 Feet. Scientists ... by chaps on Friday September 04, 2026 @12:43PM (#49567005)

Friend, these things happen even with buffer zones.

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