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pcernie
Legend
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:30 pm
Posts: 45931
Location: Belfast
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Shops can track you via your smartphone, privacy watchdog warns | Technology | The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2 ... hdog-warnsGood, I was finding there just weren't enough forms of surveillance in society. _________________Plain English advice on everything money, purchase and service related:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/
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| Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:10 pm |
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timark_uk
Moderator
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:11 pm
Posts: 12143
Location: Belfast
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Great. So even if the wi-fi on your phone is off when you're out and about (like it is with mine), then it's really still on. *sigh* Mark
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| Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:15 pm |
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pcernie
Legend
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:30 pm
Posts: 45931
Location: Belfast
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Yeah, that threw me as well. I always assumed GPS was like your network connection. Can't say I'm happy with the discovery... it's news to me at least! _________________Plain English advice on everything money, purchase and service related:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/
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| Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:44 pm |
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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm
Posts: 17040
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I believe on quite a lot of phones you can switch wifi triangulation off by one means or other. On an iPhone if you switch location services off that would do so. Flight mode would do so obviously but that's a bit overkill.
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| Thu Jan 21, 2016 11:08 pm |
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Spreadie
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:06 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: IoW
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No, they can't. I only turn location/data/wifi on when I need them - longer lasting battery ftw.
_________________
Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes; after that, who cares?! He's a mile away and you've got his shoes!
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| Fri Jan 22, 2016 8:18 am |
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pcernie
Legend
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:30 pm
Posts: 45931
Location: Belfast
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Yeah, I've a series of 'buttons', but I never knew GPS ran off Wi-Fi even when it's not activated. _________________Plain English advice on everything money, purchase and service related:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/
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| Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:22 am |
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cloaked_wolf
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:46 pm
Posts: 10022
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Very frustrating as I normally switch off wifi when I'm out and about. I've been in places where data signal is so poor it drops but I'm still able to use google maps to a tiny degree. _________________ He fights for the users.
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| Fri Jan 22, 2016 12:09 pm |
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davrosG5
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:37 am
Posts: 6954
Location: Peebo
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I found under Win 10 Mobile that the default behaviour if you switch off WiFi is for it to come back on automatically after an hour. You need to fiddle with the settings so make 'Off' mean 'Off until I tell you otherwise'.
Note entirely sure what it's doing when it says it's off of course.
_________________
When they put teeth in your mouth, they spoiled a perfectly good bum.
-Billy Connolly (to a heckler)
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| Fri Jan 22, 2016 12:18 pm |
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l3v1ck
What's a life?
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:21 am
Posts: 12700
Location: The Right Side of the Pennines (metaphorically & geographically)
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The spying I expect.
What's is news to me is that is that WiFi is on even when it's off. I always have mobile data, WiFi and Bluetooth turned off unless I'm using them.
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| Tue Jan 26, 2016 9:22 pm |
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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm
Posts: 10691
Location: Bramsche
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It doesn't. When GPS is turned off, it is turned off. But phones, tablets and PCs have been using Wi-Fi assist to get rough positioning from wi-fi points for about a decade now. That is what Google got in trouble for, with their Google Streetview cars. They were snooping Wi-Fi networks and storing not just SSIDs, but also unencrypted traffic. They know the location and triangulation of Wi-Fi points in an area (there are other companies that offer similar services for Apple, Microsoft etc.), so by seeing which access points are visible and how strong the signals are, they can guess at your rough location, even if GPS is turned off. Therefore you also need to turn off Wi-Fi (and Bluetooth), if you really don't want them to be able to track you - although the telco and the police (with a warrant), will still be able to track you based on cell towers.
_________________
"Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
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| Wed Jan 27, 2016 7:53 am |
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pcernie
Legend
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:30 pm
Posts: 45931
Location: Belfast
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 | | | | big_D wrote: It doesn't. When GPS is turned off, it is turned off. But phones, tablets and PCs have been using Wi-Fi assist to get rough positioning from wi-fi points for about a decade now. That is what Google got in trouble for, with their Google Streetview cars. They were snooping Wi-Fi networks and storing not just SSIDs, but also unencrypted traffic. They know the location and triangulation of Wi-Fi points in an area (there are other companies that offer similar services for Apple, Microsoft etc.), so by seeing which access points are visible and how strong the signals are, they can guess at your rough location, even if GPS is turned off. Therefore you also need to turn off Wi-Fi (and Bluetooth), if you really don't want them to be able to track you - although the telco and the police (with a warrant), will still be able to track you based on cell towers. | | | | |
Brevity typing there mate  _________________Plain English advice on everything money, purchase and service related:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/
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| Wed Jan 27, 2016 8:45 am |
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paulzolo
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:27 pm
Posts: 12251
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| Wed Jan 27, 2016 1:25 pm |
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pcernie
Legend
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:30 pm
Posts: 45931
Location: Belfast
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_________________Plain English advice on everything money, purchase and service related:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/
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| Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:19 pm |
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