4 ms·

Great. Can you share how exactly someone's location is being derived?

cptskippy 8mo ago
> ...what building they're in... Given that not every device has built in GPS, it sounds like the Network Team is going to have to provide the locations of APs for that to work. Curious how Teams will resolve that. If you're on your phone using a VPN back to your home network will it know or show you as at home? What happens if you have multiple APs at home?
- pbhjpbhj 8mo ago
  There are public databases of APs. Google reportedly used their Android users to sniff APs (?), and used StreetView vehicles to wardrive. MS can surely pin many APs to user's PII and locations just on the data they already have?
  - _k2vp 8mo ago
    > Google reportedly used their Android users to sniff APs Pretty sure that's how it works across all phones. I know that's how Apple gets their location services database at least. https://github.com/acheong08/apple-corelocation-experiments https://github.com/acheong08/apple-corelocation-experiments
- shevy-java 8mo ago
  Perhaps it can be derived indirectly, if you have all global positions in the area and can calculate back, with some uncertainty, who is where and when and how. It's like in Minority Report. Though with not perfect accuracy yet.
- reloadtak 8mo ago
  Yeah, you need to add the BSSID of all APs. VPN does not matter the OS will have to provide access to this info.
- LordGrey 8mo ago
  Or you set up a local router with an SSID that matches one from the corporate internal network. That actually sounds like fun. The result, I mean; not the whole setting-up-a-router bit.
  - zamadatix 8mo ago
    You'd probably want to clone the BSSID of one of the APs, the SSID is unlikely to be used as it gives zero context to which office it's at most of the time.
- zamadatix 8mo ago
  Assuming this is how it functions, the network team would export the list of BSSIDs (I.e. AP+SSID+Band specific wireless MAC used) by location and then there's really nothing about being VPNed in or even having a remote work device which advertises the work Wi-Fi that would create some problem needing to be resolved.
csmpltn 8mo ago
The tenant admin configures that mapping. They can also configure whether the data can be exposed to users outside of the organization. There’s no magic here.

> ...what building they're in... Given that not every device has built in GPS, it sounds like the Network Team is going to have to provide the locations of APs for that to work. Curious how Teams will resolve that. If you're on your phone using a VPN back to your home network will it know or show you as at home? What happens if you have multiple APs at home?

pbhjpbhj 8mo ago
There are public databases of APs. Google reportedly used their Android users to sniff APs (?), and used StreetView vehicles to wardrive. MS can surely pin many APs to user's PII and locations just on the data they already have?
- _k2vp 8mo ago
  > Google reportedly used their Android users to sniff APs Pretty sure that's how it works across all phones. I know that's how Apple gets their location services database at least. https://github.com/acheong08/apple-corelocation-experiments https://github.com/acheong08/apple-corelocation-experiments
shevy-java 8mo ago
Perhaps it can be derived indirectly, if you have all global positions in the area and can calculate back, with some uncertainty, who is where and when and how. It's like in Minority Report. Though with not perfect accuracy yet.
reloadtak 8mo ago
Yeah, you need to add the BSSID of all APs. VPN does not matter the OS will have to provide access to this info.
LordGrey 8mo ago
Or you set up a local router with an SSID that matches one from the corporate internal network. That actually sounds like fun. The result, I mean; not the whole setting-up-a-router bit.
- zamadatix 8mo ago
  You'd probably want to clone the BSSID of one of the APs, the SSID is unlikely to be used as it gives zero context to which office it's at most of the time.
zamadatix 8mo ago
Assuming this is how it functions, the network team would export the list of BSSIDs (I.e. AP+SSID+Band specific wireless MAC used) by location and then there's really nothing about being VPNed in or even having a remote work device which advertises the work Wi-Fi that would create some problem needing to be resolved.

csmpltn 8mo ago

The tenant admin configures that mapping. They can also configure whether the data can be exposed to users outside of the organization. There’s no magic here.