Phones tracking even in Airplane Mode without sim cards.

[Slyguy]

You're absolutely right.

The big companies do what ever they want. Installing trackers, spying on you.

Well... the other day I was chatting with a friend about drones, and not chatting online. We met at home and started a conversation, it was about drones.

Next thing when I open the phone, I see ads with drones. And I didn't even search online for drones. Maybe about 1-2 years ago.

We started documenting microphone activation and spying last year. It happened before last year, but started happening a LOT last year. I first noticed this over the summer when I was chatting with someone and ads started popping a few hours later.. I didn't fully realize what was taking place until later last year when I was in a confidential meeting with 3 people. Within 3 hours after the meeting I started getting ads for the topic of that confidential meeting. The interesting part is, while we weren't in a SCIF, we WERE in a room without internet/computers/cameras, and the only thing we had were our phones shoved into our pockets in airplane mode.

Then we started conducting experiments to verify this by playing recorded voices in a test environment, and it happened again. So we started removing apps. It still happened. That's when a former facebook engineer reached out to me privately and explained how this happens. Basically, in a nutshell, they use hidden app permissions pre-approved by Google/Apple on the backend of their products. This scoops up tag-cloud-like data, converting audio streams to tagged bits and sending it off. Those tagged bits are analyzed for data and used to serve you ads based on 'listening' around your environment. ALL of this is being stored. ALL of it COULD be used for spying, court cases, incrimination, framing, control, honeypot, manipulation, everything really.

Disabling all of it amounts to very nearly crippling your phone. RFID bag won't stop it as it will scoop the data offline, then send it when you connect. As of right now, I believe Microphone Blocking Apps actually do seem to work, at least some of them because they work at a fairly low level on the phone. All phones in our home have microphone and camera blockers that only unlock for a couple specific apps and phone calls.

Placing your phone into a scif bucket before confidential conversations doesn't always work now. That bucket must also be sound proofed or it will STILL pick up activity. Airplane mode isn't effective, at all and is largely as placebo. Jamming signals in your home won't work, the phones still record, and just wait for an active connection. Now keep in mind something important - even if YOU protect your phone, everyone else around you IS NOT, therefore - active and passive surveillance is STILL being conducted on you through THEIR phone microphone! Also, there is evidence active data is being piggybacked from phone to phone, so if your phone is locked down and you are in range of one that isn't, the one that isn't will hop over to yours and 'see what's going on'. We must assume they can fully identify almost everyone on the planet with voice-ID by now and this is all vastly more nefarious than we realize.

If anyone doubts these are surveillance devices and bugs, all of these revelations should assuage them.. That's exactly what they are!

 

[DavidLMO]

I don't have smart phone.

 

[Slyguy]

I don't have smart phone.

I know some guys in infosec/int that use older Nokia CDMA's which work on T-Mobile. Other than that, the choices are limited if you want a phone that has decent functionality - you'll have a smart phone.

They know this.. Everyone is basically bugged and survellied right now.

 

[DeepWeb]

It's definitely a privacy issue. But, they most likely do that to provide a resilient continuous service even when connections and sensors drop in and out.

 

[jogs]

Need to develop an opensource OS just like Linux for phones.

 

[ticklemefeet]

Need to develop an opensource OS just like Linux for phones.

6 Linux-based mobile operating systems

 

[Freki123]

Noob question but would a microphone blocker app for android help? If yes any good suggestions?

 

[jogs]

The best option is to switch off the phone and remove its battery. Hope they don't have a secret battery that runs the tracking apps in the background. May be some day we will have physical on-off buttons for camera and microphone on our phones.

 

[Prorootect]

The best option is to switch off the phone and remove its battery. Hope they don't have a secret battery that runs the tracking apps in the background. May be some day we will have physical on-off buttons for camera and microphone on our phones.

- haha hmm...look:
Facebook Employee Dishing Out Dirt On Company Requests Reporter Turn Off Location Tracking
dailycaller.com: Facebook Employee Dishing Out Dirt On Company Requests Reporter Turn Off Location Tracking
by Eric Lieberman - 02/13/2018

A Facebook worker once requested that a reporter for WIRED turn off his cellphone during a meeting so that his employer couldn’t detect that he was anonymously gossiping about the company, according to the tech publication.

In a lengthy, detailed story highlighting the ebbs and flows of the social media giant and its leader Mark Zuckerberg, WIRED cited observations, allegations, and anecdotes from 51 current or former Facebook employees.

But the most telling anecdote — and one of the first ones mentioned — is one personally experienced by the author of the WIRED piece, who parenthetically wrote:

(One current employee asked that a WIRED reporter turn off his phone so the company would have a harder time tracking whether it had been near the phones of anyone from Facebook.)

While a direct explanation was not included, it’s presumed that the Facebook employee worried that his superiors, perhaps a security manager, was tracking his or her location, while also that of the WIRED writer through their personal social media account.

Most users have location-tracking services turned on because when first creating the social media account, they are asked if Facebook has permission to use such information for certain services — like tagging photos geographically and checking in at different places.

By asking the reporter to turn off his phone, the Facebook worker clearly thought of the potential dangers of technically leaking thoughts to the media. But more importantly, it displayed an underlying paranoia that comes with working at a tech giant like Facebook. (RELATED: Zuckerberg Might Just Make Russia’s 25-Year-Old Spy Dreams A Reality)

Facebook did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment in time of publication.

Follow Eric on Twitter



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Zuckerberg Might Just Make Russia’s 25-Year-Old Spy Dreams A Reality
Zuckerberg Might Just Make Russia’s 25-Year-Old Spy Dreams A Reality
by Eric Lieberman

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday his tech company is developing a futuristic new technology during an annual conference, a concept the Russians may have tried to bring to fruition decades ago.

“We’re building further out beyond augmented reality, and that includes work around direct brain interfaces that are going to eventually one day let you communicate using only your mind,” Zuckerberg said, admitting, though, that such “stuff is really far out.”

Zuckerberg’s presentation primarily focused on a preliminary augmented reality platform, showing the audience that users of its technology may soon be able to overlay a virtual world on top of the physical one. He used Pokémon Go as an example, a mobile game that places digital fictional creatures on top of the real scenery around a player. (RELATED: Zuckerberg’s Newest Monster Idea: ‘Telepathic Sharing’)

Eventually, the “direct brain interface” (or DBI) will be embedded on their augmented reality platform, meaning communicating will potentially only require the brain.

Similar technology was once purportedly created by a Russian doctor, and the U.S. government actively explored the possibility of utilizing it.

Dr. Igor Smirnov, a Russian scientist at the Moscow Medical Academy, conducted substantial amounts of research on a field of human behavior he called “psychoecology.” He eventually developed an acoustic mind control device, which was claimed to be most effective for treating drug and alcohol addiction.

FBI officials wanted to meet with Smirnov because it considered testing the technology on cultist David Koresh, the self-proclaimed final prophet for the religious sect known as the Branch Davidians...
...read MORE at the website...

 

[crezz]

They say that if you don't pay for the product then you ARE the product. And that's a problem with Google products. They offer some fantastic free services (often the best on the market) but you pay with your personal data. Gmail and Google Maps are so good its hard not to use them though.

At least with Apple phones you are paying for the operating system in hard cash (and lots of it). So that's why I trust their phones a little bit more. I'm sure they still collect data and spy on people, but at least their business model isn't totally reliant on gathering data. You get what you pay for I suppose.

I use Gmail but I'm beginning to wonder if its such a good idea these days. I dont have anything big to hide, but I don't like the idea of Google doing what it likes with my private correspondence.

 

[jogs]

Eventually all of us will have a chip implanted inside us that will help us to communicate with each other, no phones nothing needed. And it will really be impossible to go without it just like we can't throw out our mobile phones.

 

[Prorootect]

Hi crezz
Yes, having Gmail is a very bad idea, so be consistent and change that, the less Google is better!

 

[Deleted member 65228]

Hi crezz
Yes, having Gmail is a very bad idea, so be consistent and change that, the less Google is better!

It's also stable, reliable, and secure.

We can't forget about it being free, good anti-spam filtering, 2-FA support (phone number/Android phone swipe), Google Hangouts/Plus social networking and sync with other Google services which might be in use.

I don't use these features (switched away from Gmail) but it's understandable as to why many like it. Many are likely going to ignore/not be aware of the privacy invasion, potentially not even believe in it all, and continue using the free service.

 

[DavidLMO]

Most peeps NEVER even think about it. Totally clueless. Even when you mention certain privacy to most folks their eyes turn glazed.

For those looking for a private email check our proton mail.

 

[Thales]

It's also stable, reliable, and secure.

We can't forget about it being free, good anti-spam filtering, 2-FA support (phone number/Android phone swipe), Google Hangouts/Plus social networking and sync with other Google services which might be in use.

I don't use these features (switched away from Gmail) but it's understandable as to why many like it. Many are likely going to ignore/not be aware of the privacy invasion, potentially not even believe in it all, and continue using the free service.

Yes you are right. Unfortunately Gmail is one of the best on the market but they do not care privacy. I very know that but I switched back to Gmail from paid encrypted emails because I need to use it to communicate with clients, friends and use they features. Gmail is very secure I would say.

"Secure" and "private" emails have disadvantages. For example; people often misspell the email address (posteo, protonmail, mailbox.org startmail etc.) or they email provider will not deliver the message., they do not know/care about PGP etc.
Very often if I use protonmail and encrypt a sensitive message the recipient can't even know how to click on a simple button and use the password to read my message... that's why I use gmail for my "public" profile and use protonmail with other things to communicate only with "conscious" people.

 

[Deleted member 65228]

Speaking of that, you can use PGP for encrypted emails... You can also keep changing keys.

 

[Daviworld]

I first suspected airplane mode was a placebo effect around 2013 when report's of government IMSI detector's were being used to pull MITM attack's via cellular radio's, and the document's on PRISM and backdoor's pretty much always left me wondering. Now, on all of my PC's I have my camera & mic disconnected from a hardware level(unplugged) or the BIO's level(disabled) until I need it.

However, smartphone's would be very inconvenient to disconnect the hardware. So, I utilize device admin level camera and mic blocking app's. iptables Firewall, IMSI catcher, VPN + TOR, with air plane mode. I have actually caught surveillance van's during Summer protest. I have taken screenshot's of the warning, logging the location, ip, date, etc. before pulling the battery from my phone.

*sigh* the times we live in lol