Thread

1. drnick1 · 1790270806 · focus · HN ↗

   I started rotating my BSSID weekly after I learned Apple and Google abused it to track the location of people and devices.

   Permanent hardware or software IDs, such as the Windows GUID or machine-id on Linux (systemd) are inevitably abused for surveillance sooner or later.

   1. astrange · 1790284550 · focus · HN ↗

      You mean, they used it so people trying to use their maps apps didn't have to wait several minutes for a cold GPS fix?

      1. gpm · 1790297927 · focus · HN ↗

         > wait several minutes for a cold GPS fix

         My phone doesn't take several minutes to get a GPS fix even when I'm in the middle of nowhere well beyond the range of cell towers let alone wifi routers...

         I understand that in theory it could if it had no clue what time it was either for some reason... but in practice we're talking seconds (though more than 2) not minutes.

         1. Fabricio20 · 1790299124 · focus · HN ↗

            I feel like that's not a true cold GPS signal! Though I'm not arguing the parents scenario is realistic either. I got a GPS module for a drone I was building and it took 20 minutes to get a proper GPS lock from cold!!! I was sitting there watching betaflight doing it's thing wondering why the heck it takes so long when there's so many satellites in view!

            1. gpm · 1790299662 · focus · HN ↗

               You're right that it's not a true cold GPS signal. I've connected to the network in the last 180 days (and thus have information on satellite information), I have a rough clock (time within 20s or so). The phone probably assumes it's closeish to where it last turned on. Etc.

               It is the realistic scenario that people would face without using WiFi routers or cell towers though. True cold fixes aren't something phones need to deal with basically ever.

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