Many thought that only those who need a location such as navigation, take-aways and so forth would be able to get a location. Behind the measured data is a large number of silent positioning collections carried out by app backstage. Some of these apps are common shopping software, social software, and some of the non-usual software tools, and as long as they have been authorized to locate, it is possible to collect location information on an ongoing basis in the backstage。
Cellular positioning is achieved through three main techniques: gps positioning, base station positioning and wifi positioning. Even when gps is closed, mobile phones are located by connecting to a nearby communications base, wifi hotspot. In the city, the base station is densely distributed, and positioning accuracy can be accurate even to a certain level of a building. This location information will be recorded by app and stored in a back-office server, forming a complete personal track。
More importantly, a number of apps would require “always allowing” locator privileges rather than “only for the duration of use”. Once the user clicks to agree, even if the ap exits completely, the location can be accessed continuously in the background. Another empirical case shows that someone who did not turn on a social software for three days has been positioned backstage 4032 times, and that these locatoring actions occurred without the knowledge of the user。
The location information leaks
Many people feel that they are just ordinary people, even if the location information is leaked, and they receive a few precise advertisements. However, the ministry of national security has made it clear that personal trajectory data, once analysed in a consolidated manner, can pose a danger far beyond personal privacy and even a direct threat to national security。
At the individual level, complete trajectory data clearly reflect a person's life patterns: where to leave, where to work every day, where to live, the usual hospitals or schools, and the range of weekends. Once these data are available to the outlaws, precision fraud can be committed. For example, a false notice of “psychological abnormalities” is given when a person is known to go to a hospital often; a targeted winning trap is designed when a person is known to travel on a regular daily route。
Risks are even more pronounced at the national security level. By analysing large amounts of personal trajectories, anti-china hostile forces abroad are able to identify precisely those who have been in the vicinity of sensitive areas such as military engineering units, scientific research institutes and government agencies for long periods of time and to provide targets for subsequent contacts and counteraction. At the same time, they can infer weaknesses in the internal security system by monitoring the movement of people in core areas, such as transport hubs and communications bases. Moreover, through the analysis of data on large-scale population movements, the identification of social emotional hotspots, the creation of rumours, the incitement to bad events and the disruption of social order。
These locational data will also flow into the underground black market and be resold on layers. Some data agents specialize in purchasing information on the location of individual apps, packing them and selling them to needy institutions or individuals, creating a complete black chain. A track record of ordinary people can become a “raw material” in the chain of black production and ultimately be used for acts against individuals and national interests。
Why is it so hard to find the location collected
The hidden nature of mobile phone positioning collection is an important reason why many people ignore risks. When applying for locator access, most apps only pop up a simple reminder box, using vague grounds such as “for better service”, to obtain consent, without specifying that “the collection will continue in the background”. Many older persons, when using mobile phones, click “permissive” for convenience and do not look closely at the statement of entitlement。
Furthermore, the mobile phone location collection process is entirely automatic and without any obvious hints. Only part of the cell phone is positioned in the ap, showing a small icon in the status bar, but this icon does not appear when it is collected silently. Users are unable to see which aps are being located, how many times they have been collected, and can only find them by manually viewing the cell phone access settings。
There is also a point that can easily be ignored: the location of a mobile phone in a photograph. Many people take photographs and send them directly to social platforms without knowing that the original photo data contains precise coordinates of the location. When photographs are downloaded, the location of the photographer is known by looking at the photo properties, which is also an important way to leak the tracks。
How can a normal person keep his cell phone in place to prevent leaks
The ministry of national security has made clear recommendations for protection against the risk of leaking, which are simple to operate and can be easily learned by the elderly。
First, there is no need to grant app locator privileges. When you install an app, you have to look closely at the application for permission, and you have to refuse the request directly for access to the app for which you do not need or use location, socialization, tools, etc. In the case of gpss such as navigation, take-outs, and do not choose “always allowed”, but set to “time allowed for application” so that the gps will be retrieved only when it is open for use and will stop after exit。
Secondly, unnecessary locator privileges are regularly checked and closed. You can open the privacy and security settings for your mobile phone and find the location service option, which lists all the aps that have applied for access. These apps are looked at one by one, which closes the ap privileges that are long-term, non-existent or non-requireable to locate, so that they are not collected in the back。
In addition, the location of photographs is closed. In the cell phone camera settings, the save location information option is found and closed. In this way, the photograph would not contain coordinates, and there would be no fear of leaking the location when sending the circle of friends and the micro-clan. At the same time, there is a need to avoid the publication of precise location when sharing and playing cards, in particular by exposing sensitive locations such as addresses, units and schools for children。
There is also an important reminder to update the mobile phone system and app in a timely manner. Many system upgrades will repair the gaps in authority management and reduce the risk of being targeted for malicious collection. Do not install an unknown-sourced app, which is often a “hard-hit area” where location information is collected and can easily lead to disclosure。
The law clearly guarantees everyone to be vigilant
Laws and regulations such as the law on cybersecurity, the law on data security, the law on the protection of personal information have been enacted to create legal barriers to the security of personal data, such as location information. The law clearly stipulates that app must not violate the law of collecting and abusing personal information, and that the collection of location information without the consent of the user is illegal. Users can report to the authorities if there is an over-collection of the app。
The ministry of national security stressed that the digital footprint was responsible for everyone. Protecting their mobile location information is not only protecting personal privacy but also contributing to national security. The use of smartphones is now widely available at all ages, and older persons need to be made more aware of their safety and do not ignore their rights because they feel that they do not understand them. Children can also help elderly people in their homes to check their cell phone access, explain the risks involved and work together to prevent leaks。
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