Thoughts on Wifi Aware ( conspiracy )

submitted by CatManDew

Hello all,

I was wondering what your thoughts on Wifi Aware are? For those unfamiliar, Wifi Aware will allow Wifi-enabled devices to use "GPS like" services (such has sharing location of photos via instagram or what have you). In some major cities, companies (such as google with LinkNYC ) are changing payphone's into free Wifi hubs.

Now is this just me and my tinfoil hat, or does it seems like another method to track people via their wifi devices? Wifi Aware claims that it can provide precision even in crowded areas. Seems like a way to be able to help track people, since most cell phone providers require a credit background check and enter in your driver/personal license at the point of sale (at least in my experience getting phones from ATT and Verizon in the United States).

Thoughts, or should I just add another layer of tinfoil to my hat?

Hateblade

They control the ISP routers and cellular towers. They don't need any more method of tracking you.

k_digi

  • it's real yes you are being tracked.
  • what's it really mean? who knows?
  • can you avoid it? yes with a bit of basic know and in the future it will be irrelevant anyhow.

arrggg

This is exactly what you think it is.

Making a wifi access point map is what google got caught doing in 2013, when they were using streetview cars to scan and map wifi access points . Now they are using everyones smartphone and tablet to scan and map wifi networks , and to track you in realtime "for google maps".

Since android 4.3 google keeps pestering you to "enable wifi scanning for location accuracy", which will enable an always on wifi scanning for google and other apps even if you turn wifi off. You can disable it in android, the settings are hidden in advanced settings. You can test if you disabled it by going to google maps with gps and wifi off, it will complain if its really shut off.

You can also opt-out of their wifi access point map , but you have to actually rename your home access point to something_nomap. While you are in there, you might want to change your wifi password, because if you have enabled Google Backup on your phone they have access to that too. Google backup stores your access point passwords ...

So yes, they are using this for tracking every phone\tablet with wifi enabled. Their database looks like this https://wigle.net/ , and each android based data point includes a name, phone number, email, home address, picture of the house from the street, home access point name\ssid, and any access point name\ssid\password you have connected to.

That tinfoil hat might be a good place to store your phone.

HoneyNutStallmans

Step 1: change MAC address every time you switch APs

Step 2: use Tor

cell phone providers

Wifi devices are in question here, not necessarily cell phones. People might stop using cell services in favor of wifi even for calling others.

Vorontsov

Tor is pretty useless now

HoneyNutStallmans

Why?

Vorontsov

If your goal is to keep safe from things such as the NSA then it can't provide you with that anymore, it used to be able to but not for the past year or so.

Too lazy to check sources, sorry.

HoneyNutStallmans

Too lazy to check sources, sorry.

That's kinda the stuff I'm looking for...

CatManDew

True, you could Tor instead but that would only be for browsing the Internet.

Also, as far as I know you can't change your MAC Address. At least in my iPhone in the settings the This value is static.

HoneyNutStallmans

Also, as far as I know you can't change your MAC Address. At least in my iPhone in the settings the This value is static.

Not in the iPhone because Apple probably doesn't want you to prevent people from tracking you.

Lots of phones allow you to change the MAC address.

CatManDew

Valid point, was not aware of that. Is this something that needs to be done with root acces on Androids?

If so I'm sure there's an option for jailbroken iPhones.

HoneyNutStallmans

Is this something that needs to be done with root acces on Androids?

Probably.

CatManDew

Not sure how exactly it will work, but then again just because we disable an app from location services doesn't mean the device isn't being tracked. puts on hat

HexTq

Dont think thats tinfoil hat