Thread 2833796

Vaguely remember a thread in the past regarding the unwanted (unlawful perhaps?) tracking of consumer GPS devices like garmin watches, the gps on phones (excluding cellular for the sake of the question) etc. etc.

looked around the archives but couldn't find the thread. And even though I'm not one for creating the same threads over and over again, I do distinctly recall the matter not being settled in that thread last time.

Are GPS devices able to be tracked? If yes, how? If no, also how? etc. etc.

>pic not rel
but just in case:
agent smith im just curious regarding this topic. im a law abiding citizen. god bless the united states

>>2833796 (OP)
Devices that use GPS to determine your location are just receivers. That means you cannot be tracked by using them. If you are using your cellphone as a GPS you can be tracked because you may be connected to cellphone towers etc. The only way you'd be tracked using a GPS is if something else was included in the device that broadcasts a signal.
>Using a Garmin Etrex - NO
>Using your cellphone - YES

>>2833808
Op here playing devils advocate; cant1 a, say, powerful enough (I guess) person/unnamed three letter organization tap into the sattelites that send the signals to see where and what theyre sending data to?

>>2833813
No, because the way GPS works is that the satellites are just farting out their time data omnidirectionally and the device uses math to turn that time data from several satellites into a location in 3 dimensions. There is no “handshake” that can tell a third party where the GPS receiver is.
If you are track able by GPS it’s because your GPS receiver is doing something silly like looking for cell towers or communications satellites and giving your location data to them. Antenna detection is possible, but for antennas the size of the ones in a portable GPS, it is very tough. Which means it only works if you are a target worth billions of dollars in resources, OR they already know where to look and can invest less to do it because they don’t need to search a large area.

>>2833796 (OP)
I ain't reading allat

>>2833813
no it just doesnt work that way
imagine gps as people shouting. youre innawoods right? theres 5 people also innawoods all shouting. your gps is a calculator that knows where the shouts are coming from and can do the math to know how far away the shouts are
its impossible for the people shouting to know where the listeners are

I made that thread!

>>2833796 (OP)
Just get the right model. Some of them will transmit your position but others won't. Get a fortrex or something

>>2833813
Think of GPS as AM/FM radio, it just broadcasts shit into the nothingness, you catch it if you want. They are just extra techy radio antennas in space.
The only privacy danger of GPS is on the receiver device side. e.g. your Garmin phones home when you connect it to the PC, or your smartphone sends GPS data when you connect to the internet.

>>2833920
Based retard.

>>2833796 (OP)
>>2833808
To be fair in OP's question he also specifically mentioned Garmin watches.

While the general answer is no, you are extremely unlikely to be tracked.
It would be absolutely possible using a smart watch as a target.
It's got GPS receiver + a BLE radio already, so it knows where it is and can broadcast that information.
Now BLE in normal use is fairly short range, but that all goes out the window when you're a well funded organisation operating on your own terms.

It would require the watch to be operating in some currently unknown mode using modified firmware or a 0-day exploit, and some real nice RF wizardry, but I imagine you could track one within a range of a few miles.

Anyway, na, you're good.
If you're really worried OP, leave the electronics at home, and bring a map and compass.


Just checked - regular ol' BLE with coded PHY working out to 1300m with consumer gear.

>>2834054
That's what I was getting at broham.
>The only way you'd be tracked using a GPS is if something else was included in the device that broadcasts a signal.

>>2834069
>is if something else was included in the device that broadcasts a signal.
they wouldn't do that :^)

>>2833796 (OP)
>Are GPS devices able to be tracked?
Yes, in theory.
>how
they already track the location locally, bcs that's the whole point. If they save it and someone has physical access, or if they are capable of sending, they can be used to track you.
For example, a phone with google maps or apple maps tracking enabled will also track you while you're out of the grid, it'll transmit the data once you're back in grid. Most wrist GPS, smart watches etc. can connect through bluetooth, and could theoretically use your phone's network. Everything by apple or Amazon will also parasitically use the networks other devices from those manufacturers are connected too. For example, if you have an amazon smartwatch, and your neighbor has a amazon doorcam connected to his wifi, your smartwatch will use his wifi for updates, "find lost device" functions, and could use it for tracking.

Some higher priced GPS can also send their location through the GPS network. But that's generally advertised as an emergency feature, and can't be done with small devices, since those don't have the power needed to reach the satellites.

>>2834113
Assume phone is in airplane mode/battery removed with no bluetooth and the bluetooth on the watch is turned off aswell.


>>2834054
>BLE radio
Oh for fucks sake another rabbit hole. What is this?

>>2834128
Bluetooth Low Energy, extension of the Bluetooth standard that support lower power radio signals for smaller devices that can run off weaker power sources.
They aren't going to connect to satellites but if you have enough extra chromosomes you could probably make up a wank about them using the G5 chips the nose goblins put in you.

>>2833815
If GPS is only one way, why does Garmin charge a subscription? Are their GPSs crackable?

>>2834142
>why does Garmin charge a subscription?
because half of what they are selling is relatively recent maps and depending on the hardware you can update it with a connection to a phone or PC, or it has a dedicated build in cellphone network data link.
None of this shit is any kind of hidden, if you weren't lazy and deeply incurious you could actual build a gizmo that uses an Arduino, a cheap OLED display, and a GPS component module plus a few other things off amazon and some time with the free development environment, you could have a thing that gives you the raw coordinates and you could use that with the right paper maps.

>>2834129
>>2834128
BLE is trackable as the device fingerprint can be detected passively by nearby devices as long as it’s on
Make sure to be away from anyone else before activating if that’s a concern

if you don't jailbreak/ degoogle your phone, it will always track where you are
use graphene/ calyx as your operational system

>>2835445
alright well since the GPS question has been answered what about phones?

I was looking into graphene, but theyre only for google pixel phones. and calyx has removed download options from their site for whatever reason.

Heard something about LineageOS recently. anyone have experience with that OS?

Oh Lord it's this thread again

>>2835710
good morning officer.

>>2835445
Google in fact just activated another tracking "feature" in which all devices are tracked at all times by all other devices

The stated purpose is to help people find their phone when they misplaced it

Lol...

>>2834128
>Assume phone is in airplane mode/battery removed with no bluetooth and the bluetooth on the watch is turned off aswell.
Let me dumb that down for you:
>assume airplane mode does what it says it does, that is, cut all radio emissions
>assume turning off bluetooth actually turns if off
If those are true, then no, you can't be tracked through electronical means. But if you trust your electronics, why worry about tracking in the first place? Big brother's your friend, right?

btw, my phone (Oppo 55s, bought while I was living in Japan) shows up on my linux-based computer's WLAN as a hotspot in range even when it's supposedly in airplane mode, with the Wifi hotspot turned off (never used it, actually), and supposedly not sending anything whatsoever. You'd think this was some weird bug - except that on windows and apple devices, it doesn't show. Considering that japs have a bunch of "safety" features on their phone (can't turn of the shutter sound of the camera, can't uninstall the government emergency notification app etc), I wouldn't be surprised if this was some feature to detect phones.

>>2835718
How anon?

Airplane mode has nothing to do with signals, they just don't want you talking on the phone or playing candy crush during the most likely time for a crash to happen, takeoff and landing.

What made you think "oh the outdoors board will help me be an epic hacker" you fucking retarded nigger

>>2835718
>>2835763
>>2835709
>>2834967
Hey guys, what about flip phones? I use flipphones because smartphones have turned everybody gay.
Are there any good flip hones on the market that might have limited enough capabilities to avoid some of the traps that smart phones have?