Just when you thought it was safe to turn on your cell phone

[Hawkmoon]

It's not

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/nepxbz/i-gave-a-bounty-hunter-300-dollars-located-phone-microbilt-zumigo-tmobile

Sobering stuff. Why I keep location data turned off and use a free-standing GPS  in my car.

[MillCreek]

I am reminded of a few years ago when the Israelis used a missile to kill someone using a satellite phone. The missile homed in on the sat phone signal and that was all she wrote.

[makattak]

It's not

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/nepxbz/i-gave-a-bounty-hunter-300-dollars-located-phone-microbilt-zumigo-tmobile

Sobering stuff. Why I keep location data turned off and use a free-standing GPS  in my car.

If you read the article, everything you are doing doesn't matter. The tracking was done by triangulating which cell towers your phone was talking to, not the GPS or data signals.

In other words, as long as your cell phone is powered on, this tracking will happen.

[AZRedhawk44]

It sure does make a tempting argument to evolve personal telephone usage a little bit.

Anyone suppose that shifting to VoIP style services could make a dent in this?  Whether Google Voice or some other provider, you can then set up forwarding rules to your "real" cell number based on time of day and other conditions.  It masks your real phone number since they are calling the VoIP forwarder number.

Add to that, using a VoIP software client when possible rather than the built in telephony capabilities of a smartphone allows you to "use" the phone over wifi rather than 4G networks.  Turn off 4G unless you need it on, and use public wifi networks more.  Throw in a VPN, too, if you want.

[brimic]

My wife has an obsession with murders, kidnappings, and missing persons.
A few weeks ago she was talking about a women who was murdered in Idaho, and her boyfriend/husband tried covering his tracks by shipping her phone to another state.
I told her "won't work, no way no how"
She said "But what if it were turned off?"
Me "Doesn't matter, it can still be tracked by GPS, or turned on remotely."
Her *looking worried*
Me *thinking its a good time to red pill her* I start telling her about the various technologies available, including Stingray, commonly used by police to remotely hack phones.

Her- looks at me like I was wearing a tinfoil turban.

She's not ready for reality....