Had an argument with someone claiming Google has access to all geolocations and perhaps other stuff regardless of configuration by using some non TCP method for location services.
Now, is google really accessing my network without me knowing it? And I do not refer to Google in Android, I use a google account and that is kinda obvious my smartphone talks to google via its services, I am referring to other devices and geo location as specified in this article…
As far as I understand Google’s short description, I fear no.
I suppose Google combines the SSID information with location information in the Android smartphone.
To suppress this, you must deny access to IPFire’s AP by Android devices.
The first part of the article is about WLAN of ISP’s access router. If you don’t use it and connect IPFire by ethernet this is irrelevant.
IMO, this ‘feature’ opens a new research field: How to inhibit internal devices to send unwanted data to information sampling sites like Google.
AFAIK, Google uses Android devices to scan for nearby Wi-Fi SSIDs to help it get a more precise location. They also use street-view cars to collect locations of SSIDs along with the MAC addresses of Wi-Fi networks as they drive around the streets of the world.
To stop Google from logging your Wi-Fi SSID and MAC address, you can add _nomap to the end of your SSID name, e.g., HomeWifiNetwork_nomap. This informs Google not to include your network in their location services database, similar to how you can use a robots.txt file to stop Google from indexing your website.
It is one thing if a data and information sampler gives hints for opt-outs.
The other thing is that data sampling should be allowed by opt-ins.
I don’t think that companies like Google are transparent enough to trust the given processing.
A database with { …_nomap, MAC } records may be interesting for possible customers of Google also.
Very interesting thread, I didn’t realize that Wifi AP locations have been systematically tracked for 20+ years. The starlink story is also interesting.
Would using Macchanger in IPFire " hostapd " obscure the footprint of your IPFIRE? Changing Mac address, could perhaps obscure “war driving” or “war chalking” efforts.
Google and Apple and other Hi Tech companies, like Palantier, use your mobile device’s Wifi Mac addresses and Bluetooth Mac addresses as well. I am not familiar how exactly this is done but their vehicles or hired vehicles and mobile devices constantly scan and save Mac Addresses and Meta Data using any available means like GPS sensor, cell towers, IP address, or even magneto meter, and possibly camera . Then this is obviously uploaded to their databases and processed at some later point.
Then there are data brokers who collect a lot more information including location. The location is done using various Apps that use Google Play services and probably requires you to give permission for Location services.
Lot of these apps are harmless Weather apps, Coupon apps etc. who share this information with "third party providers " aka data brokers etc…
Since you can’t block the App requests for Google Play services or sometimes even location services are required to use some of these apps, I am curious if blocking network access or firewall to tracking websites, would minimize this type of location tracking.
Just wanted to clarify I do understand that Android devices interact with Google and can provide network and location information.
That is not the issue.
What I see as the issue is me having a Firewall and wanting to block this and the Firewall does not block it? Nor knows how to?
And me turning off location services on devices not helping?
The more overall issue is in my opinion what does the firewall actually block when talking about these technologies and how to improve on it…
and cannot block it because the firewall knows nothing about the communication being carried out.
The communication to obtain the ssid and the bssid is carried out between the wardriver and the wireless card. It does not go any further than that so the firewall isn’t part of the communication flow so it cannot block what it knows nothing about.
If you don’t want the ssid and bssid info to be able to be sniffed by a wardriver or google maps camera vehicles or … then you would need to physically remove all wireless devices from your network.
I don’t need Google Play and related app requests, personally. I do phone calls with my mobile ( no smartphone! ) and internet access with my computer.
I know this is a bit antiquated, but I ever distrust operation systems which are propriatary. And Android is a such an intransparent OS.
I think you might have the right strategy, and you are not alone, actually you hear a lot of celebrities and "whales " using antiquated phones.
Does your mobile phone have a GPS locator built in ? I thought all phones have them.
You would be surprised how many antennaes a phone has, I even saw a short wave radio anntenae built in.
War drivers used to be a bunch of freelance kids driving around and collecting Wifi traffic on their laptops. Next, the Google street view cars came to collect massive amounts, to be decrypted at a later point., only the self driving cars came close to that with directional Microphones, cameras, radars, satellite antenaes,
These days all the cars are war drivers, they all collect every possible piece of information on their driver and on their surroundings.
Making matters worse, users whose devices are being
tracked never opted in to Apple’s WPS in the first place,
nor did they have a way to opt out when we conducted
this study. Merely being within Wi-Fi range of an Apple
device can lead to a device’s location and movements being
made widely and publicly available. Indeed, we identify
devices from over 10,000 distinct vendors in Apple’s WPS
… and both workphones and my wifes private phone is apple… workphones have limited access to network resources, but that is beside the point, still having wifi and internet access via Blue
Just my 2 cents for what it’s worth. I like the Pixel Phones with Graphene OS installed on them. No Google allowed. As far as Wifi APs I allow ZERO at work PERIOD NO exceptions. At home have to deal with wife and that’s a rabbit hole I will never come out of
Correct me if I am wrong Apple also doesn’t allow a firewall to be installed.
On Android, GrapheneOS. I think root access is required to install a firewall. such as IPFire or iptables. , but having root access might expose you to malicious code. Please. correct me if I am wrong.
Another option for Android , I am considering could be a no -root firewall. What do you think about Netguard
The coder’s name appears to be Marcel and he resides in EU , if that makes any difference
