5 ms·
> They can compel cell phone companies to give this data to the government already Bluetooth has a quite small range, which may give higher tracking precision
by FartyMcFarter 7y ago
> They can compel cell phone companies to give this data to the government already
Bluetooth has a quite small range, which may give higher tracking precision (to anyone receiving the signal) than the data cell phone companies have.
- tastroder 7y agoThe capability of using the Bluetooth stack for tracking is not new, this proposal limits the way that data can be used. See the cryptographic specification linked below.
- simonsaidit 7y agoThe alternative would be GPS which some governments are looking at now. It might give higher precision with a grid of location data to enhance it, but I would assume the protocol prevents this eg by some randomization of ids?
- conradev 7y agoGPS is completely unidirectional from satellites to receivers and thus the satellites cannot be used to track the receivers
- skuhn 7y agoThe receivers can be made to report their GPS data back for tracking purposes.
- simonsaidit 7y agoWhat skuhn said. That is what the solution the Norwegian and Danish government is implementing is supposedly doing. Reporting the GPS data back to a central server. If you’re using iPhone. https://www.simula.no/news/digital-contact-tracing-qa#How%20does%20the%20app%20work https://www.simula.no/news/digital-contact-tracing-qa#How%20...?
- conradev 7y agoCurrently, yes, but "numerical results with a system operating at 39 GHz show that sub-meter 3D positioning accuracy is achievable in future mmW 5G networks" :) https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.09478 https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.09478
- rrdharan 7y agoLittle did we know, 5G didn't cause Covid but Covid will cause 5G...
- jschwartzi 7y agoBluetooth 5.1 devices can do both distance and direction, so if you have a bunch of beacons you can determine your location to sub-meter accuracy.
- xenospn 7y agoiPhones don't have Bluetooth 5.1 yet, and I'm assuming no Android phones either.
- Leherenn 7y agoQualcomm's latest flagship soc (865) with 5G has Bluetooth 5.1 support as far as I know.
- nradov 7y agoThis app appears to use peer to peer Bluetooth between phones, not beacons. The intention is to determine relative proximity between users, not absolute position.
- three_seagrass 7y agoTracking isn't just by connection. Their point is that bluetooth tracking (by beacon or otherwise) is already a thing - many major retailers and franchises already do it.
- jschwartzi 7y agoIt's ridiculously easy to turn any Bluetooth device into a beacon. All you have to do is configure the BLE advertising frame for the device and then set the device to advertise. I can turn my laptop into a beacon in about 5 minutes(some web searching to remember exact commands and formats).
- lwf 7y agoRealistically, what does sub-metre accuracy help with "evil" (catch-all for all non-disease-related) surveillance that, say, a 5-10m is insufficient for?
- bosswipe 7y agoI'm pretty sure he was referring to cell tower location data, not bluetooth. Though cell tower location data has low resolution, in the order of a few 100 feet to several miles. Not useful for contact tracing.
- im3w1l 7y ago5g, I have heard, allows more fine-grained positioning.
- zby 7y agoThere is also another idea floating - let the phones emit an ultrasound - then the other phone can estimate proximity, by the volume or delays.
- Simon_says 7y agoThanks. I wasn’t using my battery anyways.
- serf 7y agonone of the proposed tracking methods are without additional battery consumption, as far as I can tell..
- three_seagrass 7y agoJust have everyone wear QR code name tags