You Can Be Tracked Through Your Smartphone, Even When Your GPS Is Off

Your privacy is important, especially when it concerns your activities online. Even though we open windows into our world through social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, what we choose not to share is just as important as what we choose to.

That¡¯s why it¡¯s important to be aware of not only how much of your activity online is public, but also how your devices treat your personal data. A group of researchers have just proved that, even if you turn off your GPS on your smartphone, that doesn¡¯t mean a dedicated person can¡¯t still track you.

Reuters

No matter the operating system, apps are now forced to ask what permissions we are willing to give it before it can do its job. GPS is most crucial to a lot of these. While it adds a bit of convenience, if that information is in wrong hands it can be used to harm you.

Researchers at Princeton University were able to design an app that takes data from your smartphone and tracks your location despite you turning the GPS off. It pulls data from basic sensors otherwise not secured by permissions, like the accelerometer, magnetometer and barometer. In addition, your device¡¯s IP address, time zone, and whether you¡¯re on mobile data or using Wi-Fi somewhere, all can be used to help pinpoint where you are.

The trick here is the app has to figure out what kind of activity you¡¯re performing, based on the sensor data. Once it knows whether you¡¯re walking, driving around, or in the air, it¡¯s pretty easy to parse where you are.

Reuters

The sensors can determine how you¡¯re moving around based on your speed. If the accelerometer reads slow movement it means you¡¯re walking or jogging, while a faster pace means you¡¯re in a vehicle. Even faster than that, combined with your recorded altitude from the barometer, and you¡¯re on a flight. That, and the magnetometer can tell which direction you¡¯re pointing at all times. After that, algorithms can narrow down where you probably are based on all the intersecting data points. All of this by comparing to publicly available weather readings, roads, and flight paths. And the further you continue to travel, the more accurate its estimates get.

So, how do you keep yourself safe from something like this? The easiest way is to never download an app or game that¡¯s not from a reputable source. Just 2,000 lines of code in Princeton¡¯s app was able to execute everything needed to get a person¡¯s location.

Always do your research before downloading. After all, you can wait a few minutes to verify before downloading that app that promises free points or coins right?