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GPS Privacy
- Thread starter tich
- Start date
If you allow location to use cell tower and wifi information as well as gps you are then agreeing to let Google collect anonymised info about your location - it tells you that any time you select that option. You can use stand-alone gps without this.
There's no such thing as being anonymous on a mobile phone, let alone one with GPS chips in it. They're enabled even when they're disabled via software for the explicit purpose of tracking for emergency personnel such as police, ambulance, etc.
Adding to that the ONLY way to COMPLETELY disable GPS on any device that contains it is to completely remove the locator chip from the unit which in itself will be a real pain. Or you can short it out, or damage it enough to where it'll still let the rest of the device work. Those are about it.
The satellites can/will collect any information that they're told to, and considering that London has Air to Ground Missles on civilian rooftops I'd say that within the next ten years GPS technology is going to come back to bite us in the ass. Let's be honest - How many GPS devices do YOU think the president is surrounded by on a daily basis?
WW3 is coming, and it's going to be an EPIC FAILURE for everyone since no economy is stable anymore.
Hi Guys Thanks, I know that if google's service loaction is used it says in the pop up window in settings that anonymus location will be collected, but if you are using the phone without sim card and have no cellular connection whatsoever and use only the gps and an offline map app it works with the gps alone. I don't understand how can the gps send data even when it's off or when the phone is without battery or turned off. it doesn't have any power to transmit data to satelites.
What bugs me about this is the google account connection to the google GPS app. I have the blackberry version of Google app on my company phone and it works great without a google account.
With Android, however, it won't work without a Google account. My objection is this: the google app on the Android, by requiring an account knows a lot about me, including my name anything else I do on Google. The BB version just has an IP which, while ultimately traceable, is not very useful for MARKETING purposes without personal information.
I really don't want to be part of a location or 'lifestyle' targeted marketing machine thanks to Google.
With Android, however, it won't work without a Google account. My objection is this: the google app on the Android, by requiring an account knows a lot about me, including my name anything else I do on Google. The BB version just has an IP which, while ultimately traceable, is not very useful for MARKETING purposes without personal information.
I really don't want to be part of a location or 'lifestyle' targeted marketing machine thanks to Google.
Actually if the battery is out or if it is fully off, it cannot track you. And as a side point it does not transmit information to satellites, it transmits information to cell towers. It receives signals from satellites but that's a one way communication
Demache
Android Expert
GPS satellites CANNOT collect any information about you. It's not possible. They are just transmitters. The phone calculates your position based on the signal of each satellite and all that gives you is some coordinates, time, altitude, etc. GPS on its own is a pretty innocuous technology.
It's what the phone itself does with those numbers that make it dubious. But there is no data collection behind GPS itself. If you are telling me that somebody could track me with my Garmin nuvi from 2005 that has no wireless capability except GPS, I'm calling BS.
OverByter
Resident Slide Rule Guru
There's nothing sinister going on, when Google asked you to allow anonomized data all they are collecting for the most part is the ssid's from routers that your phone sees. Using this data allows Google Maps to allow a poor man's aGPS by mapping where those routers are located. They actually did a lot of it on their own while they were driving around taking pictures for street view and collecting the ssid's at the same time.
MachDelta
Member
chanchan05
The Doctor
Uh, no. The safest way is to get a dumbphone, but even those can be tracked by your carriers. The point is, as long as you have a cellphone that works, you CAN be tracked, whether or not its a smartphone.
Hey tich
Android devices needs your google account for your authentication purpose. There are many apps that uses GPS of your phone for getting and sharing you location (eg: Facebook). GPS do not send any info of yours to business clients and leads, it just conveys you position over globe to few mobile apps you are use (you can even disable you location sharing in apps settings).
Android devices needs your google account for your authentication purpose. There are many apps that uses GPS of your phone for getting and sharing you location (eg: Facebook). GPS do not send any info of yours to business clients and leads, it just conveys you position over globe to few mobile apps you are use (you can even disable you location sharing in apps settings).
chanchan05
The Doctor
Nope. The moment you put in a SIM card into the phone, you can be tracked any time the carrier wants to, even if you don't turn on GPS. Even a plain old Nokia 3310 without a GPS chip can be tracked as long as it is turned on and has a SIM card.
chanchan05
The Doctor
Meh, all phones are the same in that category. My ancient 5800 can get a GPS fix as fast as my Galaxy S or my Galaxy Tab Plus. Although all three were using A-GPS.