conceptual questions about locations

[brannsiu]

I don't even have the concept. Please help build up some of my general concept. I am not into too technical details.

1. Is GPS the only technology that could find out the exact location of a mobile device (e.g. mobile phones, iPad ..). Any other possible technology inside a mobile device that would also record the exact (or the near exact) location?

2. Is it a must for GPS to work with SIM card? If my iPad does not have a SIM card slot or if I take out my SIM card from my mobile phone while taking camera pictures, could it also record the GPS location to the photos?

 

[USAFRet]

GPS only? No.
The cell phone carrier can locate from cell tower triangulation.

Or if WiFi, from the closest WiFi source(s).

 

[USAFRet]

Solution?
Use a camera with no geolocation, GPS, or WiFI.

 

[USAFRet]

Oh, and if the picture is of a popular location, or with a popular/touristy background, google image search can sometimes find it, no mater what you do.

 

[giantbucket]

GPS is "self sufficient" and works anywhere, even in the middle of an ocean or desert. as long as it's not super cloudy. so for now yes it's pretty well the only tech that can find you by itself. no SIM card needed 99% of the time.

WiFi and cellular can also do it, but not as accurately and you'd need their signal to actually find you. not a lot of wifi or cell towers in the middle of nowhere, though.

most (if not all) devices should still be able to use the GPS without a SIM card, though my idiotic Galaxy Nexus won't unless i also let it use the wifi. even if there is no wifi to catch, it somehow insists on having it turned on just to get the GPS to work.

 

[brannsiu]

GPS only? No.
The cell phone carrier can locate from cell tower triangulation.

Or if WiFi, from the closest WiFi source(s).

But could WiFi alone locate exact location

 

[USAFRet]

GPS only? No.
The cell phone carrier can locate from cell tower triangulation.

Or if WiFi, from the closest WiFi source(s).

But could WiFi alone locate exact location

Exact? Probably not.
But if your device is connected to a public wifi source and you upload that image to somewhere....pretty close.

 

[giantbucket]

define "exact". even standard GPS cannot find "exact" unless you've got additional local gear to get you to sub-inch-precision.

 

[brannsiu]

GPS is "self sufficient" and works anywhere, even in the middle of an ocean or desert. as long as it's not super cloudy. so for now yes it's pretty well the only tech that can find you by itself. no SIM card needed 99% of the time.

WiFi and cellular can also do it, but not as accurately and you'd need their signal to actually find you. not a lot of wifi or cell towers in the middle of nowhere, though.

most (if not all) devices should still be able to use the GPS without a SIM card, though my idiotic Galaxy Nexus won't unless i also let it use the wifi. even if there is no wifi to catch, it somehow insists on having it turned on just to get the GPS to work.

Hi, did you mean, GPS is the ONLY tech to find out your accurate locations while WiFi or cellular alone could only the best find out your approx. locations?

 

[USAFRet]

What is the issue you're trying to get around? People knowing where you were when you took a picture?

As above, get a camera with no GPS/WiFi/other geotagging device or software.

 

[brannsiu]

define "exact". even standard GPS cannot find "exact" unless you've got additional local gear to get you to sub-inch-precision.

Hey, don't over worry about the terms "exact".. What I meant "Exact" is not ideally and **mathematically** exact to coordinates..... somebody said GPS is accurate to 2cm or 2m. It's already considered to be very much "exact" in my definition....

 

[giantbucket]

currently, GPS can get to within ten feet of the actual location. it doesn't always, but it can. cell and wifi are probably less accurate, but still could figure out the closest intersection.

film cameras have NO location tags. neither do hand sketches. or plain digital cameras from a few years ago.

 

[USAFRet]

Hi, did you mean, GPS is the ONLY tech to find out your accurate locations while WiFi or cellular alone could only the best find out your approx. locations?

But...
If you take a pic and upload it via the local Starbucks free WiFi, it is time/location stamped.
I can then subpeona/hack into Starbucks camera feed, and scroll back to that date/time.
And see you.

 

[giantbucket]

big brother is watching.

so is little brother, some pervs, a hacker, and a bored housewife trying to nab her cheating hubby (and vice versa)

 

[brannsiu]

What is the issue you're trying to get around? People knowing where you were when you took a picture?

As above, get a camera with no GPS/WiFi/other geotagging device or software.

Please Don't worry about my issue . I just want to know some basic concepts.

1. Now I know GPS could be very accurate. It could be accurate up to 2metre or 2cm....(said by someone else on the forum).

2. How accurate is WiFi /other geotagging device be up to ???

 

[brannsiu]

What is the issue you're trying to get around? People knowing where you were when you took a picture?

As above, get a camera with no GPS/WiFi/other geotagging device or software.

Hi, did you mean, GPS is the ONLY tech to find out your accurate locations while WiFi or cellular alone could only the best find out your approx. locations?

But...
If you take a pic and upload it via the local Starbucks free WiFi, it is time/location stamped.
I can then subpeona/hack into Starbucks camera feed, and scroll back to that date/time.
And see you.

I recognize you with your aircraft in the signature.

Sorry my comment to you is that you are always trying to make too much assumptions and imaginations when you are answering questions, and avoiding answering simple questions directly.

I know all about your example with Starbucks but it's not my concern.

I only want to learn about what kind of technologies I have to pay special attention the next time I take photos in order not to show my location. Because I didn't even know GPS was about location, WiFi was about location... I just want to know all the possiblities I have to pay attention to ,

If I take a photo in the starbucks near London bridge with the 1980's camera without any modern technology , everyone will know where it is, but it's totally another issue.

Sorry!

 

[giantbucket]

most modern phone cameras and some stand-alone cameras now include a GPS tag function, so if you want to avoid it you'd need to be sure to use slightly older tech - probably 3-5 years old would do it. the GPS / Geotag is the main one currently to be aware of, for consumer devices. there might be some next-gen stuff that gov't or military have access to, but it won't be on your current iPhone or whatnot.

 

[USAFRet]

I'm not trying to make too many assumptions, I'm just outlining the art of the possible.

If you have a camera with no outside connectivity, then the possibility of someone knowing when and where is much harder.
Add capabilities, and the possibility goes up
Use a smartphone, and the sky is the limit.

I have a 4 year old Fuji camera. Zero connection capabilities.
I also have an Eye-Fi card in that camera. Has geotagging, auto upload to Facebook/Flickr/etc.If I allow it.
I have all of that turned OFF, on purpose.
So, as far as I know, that eye-fi card talks to only two devices. My house router, and my Asus Transformer if I am out.

If you allow the device to talk to entities not in your control, all bets are off.

 

[brannsiu]

most modern phone cameras and some stand-alone cameras now include a GPS tag function, so if you want to avoid it you'd need to be sure to use slightly older tech - probably 3-5 years old would do it. the GPS / Geotag is the main one currently to be aware of, for consumer devices. there might be some next-gen stuff that gov't or military have access to, but it won't be on your current iPhone or whatnot.

Hi What is Geotag ? How to disable Geotag in my phone

Note
1. I will not go back to 3-5 years older technolgoy. I will even get a new iPhone later. It does not make sense to me to avoid one thing by downgrading the whole thing.

2. I am never worried about gov / military because I am never doing anything illegal. However, I am around with too many nasty horrible sick general people so I have to be some safe to these general people. I am not thinking about hackers or gov or FBI etc

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Another thing is you can editing your images in certain softwares can remove that type of data. For example, simply open up your image in Microsoft Paint. copy and paste the image over to a new Microsoft Paint window, and then save that image. Any type of geographic information will be gone.