# Government looking to collect location data from mobile phones?



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

In a supposed effort to determine if people are following "social distancing" guidelines, the U.S. government is partnering with tech companies like Facebook to see if it is possible to use mobile phone and social media "check-in" locations to track whether people are gathering or getting too close to other folks.
I don't know about you, but that sounds terrifying.



> *U.S. government, tech industry discussing ways to use smartphone location data to combat coronavirus*
> 
> March 17, 2020 at 2:15 p.m. CDT
> The U.S. government is in active talks with Facebook, Google and a wide array of tech companies and health experts about how they can use location data gleaned from Americans' phones to combat novel coronavirus, including tracking whether people are keeping one another at safe distances to stem the outbreak.
> ...


https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/17/white-house-location-data-coronavirus/

Who here believes that last statement is true?
I do not.

Looks like it's time to break out the backup 2g smartwatch phone. No GPS, no data. They can track the cell tower I'm on, but nothing past that.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

I still use an old Tracphone "dumb phone". It's only on when I make calls, and I only use it to make calls, that's the only time a cell tower gets pinged.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

I know it's possible to get the approximate location of a cell phone using a variety of different means, even if locations services are turned off. But this doesn't propose to do that. Until then, I'm not too worried about it. People who post their location to social media are asking to be tracked, IMO.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Mad Trapper said:


> I still use an old Tracphone "dumb phone". It's only on when I make calls, and I only use it to make calls, that's the only time a cell tower gets pinged.


My cell phone is always on and attached to me at the hip in case one of my daughters needs to get in touch with me.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

paulag1955 said:


> I know it's possible to get the approximate location of a cell phone using a variety of different means, even if locations services are turned off. But this doesn't propose to do that. Until then, I'm not too worried about it. People who post their location to social media are asking to be tracked, IMO.


One inch at a time... one inch.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I suspect that the evil socialists are doing much more that any of us realize.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

paulag1955 said:


> My cell phone is always on and attached to me at the hip in case one of my daughters needs to get in touch with me.


Hey you're free to do what you want with your phone, but every generation of young people prior to this generation made it through life without a phone attached to the hip of their mother's.


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## Chiefster23 (Feb 5, 2016)

......


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Good I left mine home again today when we went of a motorcycle ride. That should confuse them.
Yes with location turned off they can still track the phone to the towers.


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## T-Man 1066 (Jan 3, 2016)

My guess is they have always had the ability to track us, regardless of phone settings. Now they will just use the data differently.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Slippy said:


> Hey you're free to do what you want with your phone, but every generation of young people prior to this generation made it through life without a phone attached to the hip of their mother's.


I know, right? I can't even imagine how parents managed to send their children across country to attend college like we did with our youngest. I would have gone out of my mind.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

paulag1955 said:


> I know, right? I can't even imagine how parents managed to send their children across country to attend college like we did with our youngest. I would have gone out of my mind.


GASP!!!!!! Young people went to COLLEGE without a cell phone!! The HORRORS! :vs_shocked:

From 1941-1945 MILLIONS of young Americans were sent packing halfway around the World to fight the Nazis, the Fascists, and the Japs...with no CELL PHONE! Dang, how did we ever win the war? lain:

The modern i-Phone may go down as one of the leading causes of the pussification of the human race...


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## Chiefster23 (Feb 5, 2016)

Christ! Back in the 70s I would go on a 5 month voyage with no phone contact at all for the whole time. Hell, snail mail service was even spotty. We all survived, even my mother.


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

Mad Trapper said:


> I still use an old Tracphone "dumb phone". It's only on when I make calls, and I only use it to make calls, that's the only time a cell tower gets pinged.


Hate to tell you this....but every time your phone registers it sends enough information to the network to locate you to within half a mile or so....old technology (GSM) or down to sub 100 meter (new 3G technology). If your calling from your home...they know where you are.

And thats without needing a GPS enabled handset...


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

Slippy said:


> GASP!!!!!! Young people went to COLLEGE without a cell phone!! The HORRORS! :vs_shocked:
> 
> From 1941-1945 MILLIONS of young Americans were sent packing halfway around the World to fight the Nazis, the Fascists, and the Japs...with no CELL PHONE! Dang, how did we ever win the war? lain:
> 
> The modern i-Phone may go down as one of the leading causes of the pussification of the human race...





Chiefster23 said:


> Christ! Back in the 70s I would go on a 5 month voyage with no phone contact at all for the whole time. Hell, snail mail service was even spotty. We all survived, even my mother.


I didn't get a mobile phone until 2000 after my 3rd son was born, I have done so many tours overseas where there wasn't phones or internet that to have it is strange. Still got hard drives of movies for when I'm away. I haven't written a letter in so long I don't have envelopes on hand. I could go a long time without technology....but I'm not going to let fear keep me from enjoying it while its here.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Slippy said:


> GASP!!!!!! Young people went to COLLEGE without a cell phone!! The HORRORS! :vs_shocked:
> 
> From 1941-1945 MILLIONS of young Americans were sent packing halfway around the World to fight the Nazis, the Fascists, and the Japs...with no CELL PHONE! Dang, how did we ever win the war? lain:
> 
> The modern i-Phone may go down as one of the leading causes of the pussification of the human race...


I know it's crazy, but there you have it.


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## KUSA (Apr 21, 2016)

I just hope they don’t check my internet search history.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Old SF Guy said:


> Hate to tell you this....but every time your phone registers it sends enough information to the network to locate you to within half a mile or so....old technology (GSM) or down to sub 100 meter (new 3G technology). If your calling from your home...they know where you are.
> 
> And thats without needing a GPS enabled handset...
> 
> View attachment 104501


I'm under the impression with an old dumb phone, turned off, it is not registering anywhere.

Turned off my phone does not pick up/receive text messages, until it is later turned on, and sometimes that takes several/many minutes for a prompt to appear and/or a "new" message appears in the inbox. So I imagine turned on, without making a call you can be tracked.

I understand turned on and making a call it will ping to towers that can triangulate a location.

If this is not so, I have other options: remove battery, or wrap inside foil or a container which blacks any reception/transmission.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

I believe what the original post was referencing is the use of the "find friends" app.
When enabled, this allows your friends to see your location, and you see theirs, in case you want to get together for a beer or something.

This is millenial touchy-feely stuff anyway.
I have only one or two friends, and I don't even want them knowing where I am.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

@*fangfarrier* posted this in the update thread -



fangfarrier said:


> *Israeli government texting people who are coming close to covid-19 carriers by monitoring smartphones. *
> 
> https://www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-begins-controversial-tracking-of-coronavirus-patients
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




At least they're not hiding that they're doing it.

​


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

Mad Trapper said:


> I'm under the impression with an old dumb phone, turned off, it is not registering anywhere.
> 
> Turned off my phone does not pick up/receive text messages, until it is later turned on, and sometimes that takes several/many minutes for a prompt to appear and/or a "new" message appears in the inbox. So I imagine turned on, without making a call you can be tracked.
> 
> ...


Yep....phone off won't ping.... a phone in airplane mode still has activity, but limited....
A phone on an not being used still has initial registration and periodic locational updates that it does and thats enough to locate you.... a call gives it a constant connection (Traffic Channel) where it can be more accurately monitored.

If your trac-phone has 3G or 4G service it still has all the technology to track you like a smart phone due to the need for GPS timing data.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

Old SF Guy said:


> Yep....phone off won't ping.... a phone in airplane mode still has activity, but limited....
> A phone on an not being used still has initial registration and periodic locational updates that it does and thats enough to locate you.... a call gives it a constant connection (Traffic Channel) where it can be more accurately monitored.
> 
> If your trac-phone has 3G or 4G service it still has all the technology to track you like a smart phone due to the need for GPS timing data.


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