Comments on: Future Shock http://meat.net/2005/04/future-shock/ David Terrell's blog Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:25:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Jason Lindquist http://meat.net/2005/04/future-shock/#comment-68 Jason Lindquist Wed, 06 Apr 2005 02:16:31 +0000 http://meat.net/2005/04/future-shock/#comment-68 I can't speak for lesser technologies, but for CDMA (IS-95 and derivatives) phones, there is indeed a GPS server. The handsets can do position determination two ways, either delay measurement from base stations, which themselves have GPS receivers, or by receiving GPS signals directly. The handsets lack the horsepower to do the computations themselves, so they forward the data to a server on the provider's network which does it for them. Every phone I've encountered has a preference setting to either leave it on full-time, or to turn it off except when making a 911 call. I'm sure a provider could have firmware loaded into phones they sell which (silently) ignore that setting, possibly in response to a signal. Have they done this? I have no reason to believe so, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility. There has long been talk of location-based advertisements. I can easily envision carriers offering ad-subsidized service, which would mandate leaving GPS on. So this could happen anyways. Privacy is certainly not assured, so long as the battery is attached to the phone. Do with that what you will. I can’t speak for lesser technologies, but for CDMA (IS-95 and derivatives) phones, there is indeed a GPS server. The handsets can do position determination two ways, either delay measurement from base stations, which themselves have GPS receivers, or by receiving GPS signals directly. The handsets lack the horsepower to do the computations themselves, so they forward the data to a server on the provider’s network which does it for them. Every phone I’ve encountered has a preference setting to either leave it on full-time, or to turn it off except when making a 911 call. I’m sure a provider could have firmware loaded into phones they sell which (silently) ignore that setting, possibly in response to a signal. Have they done this? I have no reason to believe so, but it isn’t outside the realm of possibility. There has long been talk of location-based advertisements. I can easily envision carriers offering ad-subsidized service, which would mandate leaving GPS on. So this could happen anyways.

Privacy is certainly not assured, so long as the battery is attached to the phone. Do with that what you will.

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