Murena is launching a smartphone with physical switches to turn off the camera, microphone and network.

  • @sorghum
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    159 months ago

    GPS is passive. Short version; all your phone does in regards to triangulation is read the signals from the satellites. Long version; https://youtu.be/qJ7ZAUjsycY

    • @[email protected]
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      39 months ago

      Yeah I realize how GPS triangulates but it still needs an antenna to pick up the GPS signal, which could have a physical cutoff.

      Pixels have an MMWave Antenna.

        • Otter
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          49 months ago

          Maybe they are thinking along the lines of stopping apps on the phone from using the locally calculated GPS data, since the apps can then send that data elsewhere?

          For location though, there are lots of other ways to determine location info, such as WiFi networks, cellular towers you connect to, nearby devices. Even if you disconnect the GPS and then walk to where you need to go, your phone’s accelerometer/gyro to figure out where you went.

          Rather than trying to physically disconnect all that, it’s probably easier to do it software side. If location data is really a concern, use grapheneOS and don’t install anything questionable.

          • 520
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            49 months ago

            Maybe they are thinking along the lines of stopping apps on the phone from using the locally calculated GPS data, since the apps can then send that data elsewhere?

            1. Network kill switch
            2. Location permissions