[Noisebridge-discuss] [dorkbotsf-blabber] google war driving

[Brian Topping]

In my last apartment, across the river from Manhattan, I was having incessant problems with my cell signal on a 2G iphone.  I could literally see one of the cell towers (on top of the ventilation towers for the midtown tunnel) after a kind representative from AT&T helped me spot it.  If the weather was good, I would always lock on to the weak signal emanating from this tower, but as soon as I walked away from the window or a boat would drive by, the call would drop.  The stronger signal from the correct tower in Queens never took priority unless it was foggy or raining.  In other words, my cell coverage sucked for the entire year I lived there.

During that time, I noticed that my very strong wifi signal from the other room would sometimes not link up when the cell signal was sporadic.  I found that odd, but just figured it was a bug.

Last week, I bought a new MBP with 10.6.3.  I took it out of the box and it asked me if I wanted to set my time zone based on my current location.  That was new, clearly it was using my wifi to figure out my location.  

And it struck me that Apple's probably been uploading the wifi signals in view of my verified location for quite some time from cell phones.  Why wouldn't they, after all?  

I'm not defending the practice, it's way more than creepy.  But I think the Google van is getting far less info than the cell phones these vendors have in everyone's hip pocket are collecting.

On Apr 30, 2010, at 4:26 AM, Joel Jaeggli wrote:

> how do you think wifi based location databases are populated?
> 
> they're not the only ones with a dataset like that, it's how you ipod
> touch can localize itself to a few hundred meters.
> 
> there's some entertainment value to be had in moving an access-point
> several thousand miles and having your location be off, but more to the
> point mac addresses can be changed, it would be simple to randomize them
> if one was so inclined.
> 
> see skyhook for example...
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyhook_Wireless
> 
> for another of these.
> 
> I a little perplexed about the notion that wireless spectrum emissions
> that leave your premises might be a deep privacy concern... as far as
> the content is concerned that's what encryption is for, it's this sort
> of thing that results in silly laws like it being unlawful to monitor
> the 850mhz band.
> 
> On 04/29/2010 11:29 PM, karen marcelo wrote:
>> thought i'd point this out to the troops:
>> 
>> streetview google van logs MAC addresses.
>> 
>> http://bit.ly/bqRIRs
>> 
>> WTF right?  well at dorkbot thanks to trademark g and jonathan foote, we regularly exchange safeway cards to thwart such invasions of privacy.
>> and @rubylabs mentioned he was setting up an exchange hubs event too
>> 
>> so i think every meeting if so inclined, those who want to exchange hubs are encouraged to bring them in at the next meeting and exchange away :)
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>> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
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