• 11 Posts
  • 13 Comments
Joined 2 months ago
Cake day: June 20th, 2025
  • Holeheadou92984@lemmy.worldOPtoPrivacy@lemmy.ml•GrapheneOS Location Services
    1·
    1 month ago

    thanks a lot!

    though could you briefly explain the term “Network Location”? what does this “network” represents? How is it going to help with location and geopositioning? My understanding is that by enabling “Network Location” the location defined with “Network” is sent to SLP server as assisted data for geopositioning.

    I would assume “Network” represents cellular data, hope someone could confirm

  • Holeheadou92984@lemmy.worldOPtoPrivacy@lemmy.ml•IMEI concern grapheneOS
    1·
    1 month ago

    thank you for the clarification!

    changed my device name!

    I cannot find any reliable source that says personal hotspot can see the device model connecting to it, would be really great if someone could clarify this here.

    But, some wifi access points can detect your device model anyways. My Xfinity gateway will show my Phone’s name and what model of phone I have.

    I believe this is true as there is browser plugin for spoofing device model

  • Holeheadou92984@lemmy.worldOPtoPrivacy@lemmy.ml•IMEI concern grapheneOS
    1·
    1 month ago

    The main goal here is to keep my device’s IMEI number private, so that it appears to the service provider as if my phone has never used cellular data. By hiding the IMEI, the provider won’t be able to associate the device with me when I use it solely on public Wi-Fi such as in a café, or be able to track me with IMEI if my IMEI number is leaked by some service or app that I accidentally used. They might see that a new device is connected, but they won’t be able to identify that it belongs to me.

    Now that I think of it twice I think you got a point Solely connecting to WIFI doesn’t seem to leak my IMEI number. But I’m not sure what else will except for using SIMs.

    I guess I just don’t like the idea that a persistent number could be used to identify me.

    Though I’m still curious about:

    May I also ask how much information is carried to the second device by using hotspot? By this I meant the phone with IMEI will be able to know my device name, but what else? Will the phone with IMEI also be able to know the device model?

  • Holeheadou92984@lemmy.worldOPtoPrivacy@lemmy.ml•GrapheneOS Location Services
    3·
    1 month ago

    thanks a lot

    for those who have trouble understanding this

    1. Passive Tracking (Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Beacons)

      Your phone constantly searches for nearby Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals.

      Retailers place Wi-Fi routers or Bluetooth beacons in stores to detect these signals.

      Each device has a unique MAC address (though modern phones often randomize this to prevent persistent tracking).

      These devices log when and where a phone is detected, creating a record of customer movement.

    2. What They Can Track:

      When a customer enters or exits the store

      How long they stay

      Which areas of the store they visit

      Repeat visits (if the MAC address isn’t randomized)

      Whether they’ve visited other locations (if the same system is deployed across multiple stores)