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Tag: location tracking

Adam Engst 6 comments

Apple’s Wi-Fi-based Positioning System Reveals Access Point Locations

University of Maryland security researchers used a clever approach to querying Apple’s location API to determine the locations of more than two billion Wi-Fi access points worldwide. You can opt out.

Adam Engst 7 comments

iOS 17.5 Adds Cross-Platform Location Tracking Alerts

Apple has released a large set of operating system updates, including iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5, macOS 14.5 Sonoma, watchOS 10.5, tvOS 17.5, HomePod Software 17.5, macOS Ventura 13.6.7, macOS Monterey 12.7.5, iOS 16.7.8, and iPadOS 16.7.8. New features include alerts for Android-paired tracking devices moving with you and a new game and leaderboard for Apple News+ subscribers.

Glenn Fleishman 90 comments

AirTags: Hidden Stalking Menace or Latest Overblown Urban Myth?

Mainstream and technology media report that stalkers and criminals use AirTags to track unsuspecting people and aid in car theft. Do a handful of anecdotes truly reveal a broader pattern?

Adam Engst 3 comments

Coronavirus Tracking in Today’s Surveillance Society

Location tracking, facial recognition, and app-based tracking have become tools in fighting the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. But will these uses start a conversation about how to safeguard personal privacy or result in it being further exploited?

Adam Engst 20 comments

The New York Times Reveals How Completely Our Every Move Is Tracked

Forget Big Brother. We have much more to worry about from the numerous “Tiny Brother” location data companies that track our every movement via software embedded in smartphone apps.

Josh Centers 1 comment

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon to Stop Selling Location Data

After Motherboard found that a bounty hunter could locate any cell phone for $300, the major US cellular carriers are ending their practice of selling location data. About time.

Josh Centers 10 comments

Avoiding Google’s Geotracking Requires Disabling More Than Location History

An investigation by the Associated Press and Princeton University has found that Google tracks and stores your location history even when you have disabled Location History. To prevent Google from tracking your location, also disable Web & App Activity.