Your car's GPS is also tracking your movements. If you have a newer car then your phone is only part of the problem.
this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2025
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To be specific, it's not the GPS receiver, it's the fact that the car may be communicating via cell network or satellite, right?
Right, but most modern cars have that communication built in, because they use it to update firmware remotely. You can't turn it off even if you wanted to. Many car companies justify it by saying it is needed to give your location to emergency services if you use their alert button.
Don't bring it?!
Also be aware that the Georgia attorney general has declared that not bringing your phone to a protest will be considered criminal intent. They’re now trying to punish people for not having their tracking devices with them.
https://georgiarecorder.com/2024/02/12/georgia-ag-claims-not-having-a-phone-makes-you-a-criminal/
This.
Go old school and bring cameras instead.
correct
If your phone is powered your location can be tracked. Secured or not: your location can always be tracked.
The rest is doubtful, always assume law enforcement has access at will.
Just don't bring it.
doesn't have to be powered on.
unless you can remove the battery, it should stay at home.
Source? EFF says airplane mode is sufficient per the article
so you're going yo trust the government funded org to tell you how to not be tracked by the government?
better yet, you're going to trust the company that actively works with the government under national defense that wants to track you to protect national defense?
no thanks. I'd rather be safe than detained.
What government funding does the EFF take in?
Until I see a shred of evidence that airplane mode doesn't disable the radios, yes, I'm going to trust the manufacturers, the EFF, and my background in EE
I tend to agree (and also an EE). Airplane mode isn't a total panacea, though. It just disables the cellular radio. While it also disables the Wifi and Bluetooth, those can always be turned back on, even while Airplane Mode is active. A motivated state actor can absolutely track via Wifi or Bluetooth. (Possibly even NFC, but the range on that is so low that I think it would impossible to do without seeing what is tracking you).
Turning the phone off is the best solution if you want to keep rhe phone on your person. Guaranteed that all possible avenues for tracking is off, and also has the advantage that even if the phone is seized, the latest phone OSes require the passcode before doing anything at all when they first power up. Even the Police are limited in the data they can get off a phone that has just powered up and is asking for the passcode.
cool. you do you then.
I'll keep doing whatever I need to ensure my freedom by not trusting government or corporate guidelines.
Set your phone on top of a Roomba that has scheduled cleaning throughout the day.
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YOU DONT BRING IT.
By leaving it at home.
Buy a Burner.
Leave it at home for a protest if you care about being tracked.
Pretty much all cell phones can be tracked even when turned off.
Source? EFF says airplane mode is sufficient per the article
Could you not wrap it in thin foil to make a faraday cage? If done well it should prevent any signals for going in or out.
puts on thin foil hat
Even with a libre OS and all radios turned off? (So to use the phone as a camera and offline navigation)
yes, even with all the foss software and radios turned off.
it will still ping radio towers. the only exclusion are phones with physical switches for disabling hardware.
I feel like it could still get damaged or used as evidence in court if you get caught up in a crackdown.
Turn it off and leave it at home.
Leave it on at home.
"Your honor, as you can see from my mobile device location history, I never even left my house that day."
Not that that'll actually work or that they'll care, but still...
Even better, have your tv on the whole time, so if the tv sends telemetry data that's also linked to the phone, it'll show you were at home the whole time.
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