Why does Microsoft Remote Desktop app need my GPS location from my phone?
I have my location turned off for everything and keep mine in a Faraday bag. That said, there was one tip in this article I wasn’t aware of: deleting my advertising ID, so everyone should read it and see if you can’t improve your own privacy.
It feels good when I have to use it and, for a moment it says “no service”, like kicking the tech assholes in the dick.
Use FOSS as much as possible, pressure your gov to implement laws against tracking (against what Snowden showed us).
There is no need to know the location and history, and the communication of everyone everywhere.
I loved xprivacy_lua
You could hide almost everything.
No app knew the other apps I used.
No app had clipboard access. when I needed to paste something I used Xposed Edge.
You could spoof a lot of info, GPS coordinates, IMEI … The list goes on.support stopped. I should check if there’s a fork.
edit: AOSP permissions have improved and I now use almost exclusively FOSS apps, so I’m not worried, but I still miss the app.
edit2: there’s a fork: https://xdaforums.com/t/xpl-ex-xprivacylua-ex-android-privacy-manager-hooking-manager-extended.4652573/
If you have a device that’s actively connected to a cellular network, and has been while in your home or work, then your only option is to leave it behind or turn it off. That includes your car if it was made in the past decade, if nothing else, so it can catch OTA firmware updates, and send telemetry data.
GPS and location services don’t mean shit when your carrier keeps logs of where you’ve been based on cell-tower triangulation.
One thing I am always aware of are apps that want permission to access Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi and/or Networks.
Even though Bluetooth is very short ranged it can still be used to tie you into a location within a database based on other database records that are more detailed.
Yeah, I love playing you “My Great Dog-sitting Simulator” (not a real app) but you do not need access to my BT. The OS handles sending your audio to my headphones!
Teams is the worst, you can’t join any call if you don’t allow it to scan your local network. I wish the executives a very nice and agonizing death.
I haven’t done an extensive survey or anything, but every modern router I’ve interacted with supports setting up a secondary WiFi network with guest isolation (so anything on that SSID can’t see any network device besides the router and itself). This is useful for apps or hardware that is untrusted and/or demands unjustified permissions.
Correct, using the guest network is better but I think turning off WiFi and just using mobile data is sufficient. I wonder if the permission applies to cellular connectivity as well.
Sure, removing your network from the equation is definitely a more secure option; just make sure the app isn’t using those granted permissions in the background when you’re done using it and log back into your network.
I remember when Bluetooth started demanding location permissions. You’ll never convince me that it’s functionally required or provides any benefit other than furthering efforts to spy on the user.
When it started being rolled out, I avoided any app or hardware that made that demand. Sadly, that’s no longer an option if I want any Bluetooth at all.
It’s not like Bluetooth started demanding location permissions, the conceptual model of the permission was revised: having access Bluetooth means an app could determine your location via a form of lateration.
In earlier versions of smartphone operating systems, this was not transparent to users lacking the technical background, so Bluetooth also requiring location access is actually an attempt at making users aware of that. I’m not an iOS developer, so I can’t comment on iPhones, but on Android versions prior to 11, having access to Bluetooth meant an app would be able to determine your location.
Today, you can require the permission
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, which expresses that your app might use Bluetooth to obtain location information on Android. Also, if you’re just scanning for nearby devices to connect your app to, but don’t want users to be confused why your smart fridge app needs to know your precise location, you can declare a permission flag (neverForLocation) and Android will strip beacon information from the scan results, better asserting your intentions.So, overall: no, there is nothing nefarious going on, it was always possible to determine your location via Bluetooth, and the update to the permission model was an honest improvement that actually benefits you as user.
Now, there are still plenty of shady apps around, and apps that are poorly written - don’t use those.
I knew that someone would try to convince me. You won’t convince me.
… Though your argument is pretty compelling.
I don’t think he wanted to convince you, he just explained the backgroundon how you can track locations with bluetooth.
Pretty easy steps; get app you are interested in. Deny it access to things it doesn’t need when asked. If the app proceeds to not work until you enable, delete. Otherwise, enjoy app without the unnecessary permissions.
NetGuard just outright blocks network access. Apps can’t send tracking data if they are not able to access the servers. I’m using it in whitelist mode where I only allow access to apps that need it.
That’s my approach with Rethink DNS. I get FOSS alternatives whenever acceptable for my use case, but isolate even them to only bare working minimum of outside connections.
Most apps literally don’t work right is you do not enable all location services
11 out of 32 apps requesting location on my phone have the permission granted, because I actually need them to use location for one reason or another. the rest works perfectly fine with the permission disabled.
Don’t just give location access to any app that requests it, especially background location access.
And wifi And BT And list goes on.
Even my taxi apps receive/lose location access automatically on open/close.
Don’t give location access. Really not that hard.
In case you are not just trolling, you need to do way more to stay anonymous in the modern area.
Dismantle the GPS chip. This is the only way
Stop spreading rumours.
Just disable the location permissions. And turn off GPS when you dont actively need it.
Do you know that Pegasus software now has an unlimited license?
Pegasus spies on all the data on a phone. If a phone is really infected with that, then location access is the least of your worries. But this is not relevant to this post anyway, because 99,9% of people will never be a valid target for such high-level spyware.
In general yes. Just a daily reminder of our dystopian days
No one is spending 500k-1M to hack random people.
Do you know what unlimited license means? 400 Russian journalists who fled to the Baltic states were compromised by Pegasus. This cancer is growing fast and if yesterday it wasn’t your business, today it is
Just make a proper threat level analysis. Are you a journalist or politically exposed person in a non-democratic or semi democratic system?
No?
Are you in a key position of a company or agency providing (for) critical infrastructure?
No?
Are you just a little shit, trolling on the internet?*
Yes? Maybe just dial that back.Verdict: You are of no interest for a state sponsored Spy Software or some script kiddy trying to wreck your day.
*Hypothetical situation. Does not necessarily apply to the OP.
The former is true, however anyone who’s ever looked at firewall logs will tell you plenty of skids are trying to get free domestic US IP addresses off of vulnerable home networks using automated means.
That being said that has really has jack shit to do with personal privacy/security against state-scale dragnet surveillance.
non-democratic or semi democratic system?
Am I right that you just called Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania semi-democratic countries?
