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Groups > comp.lang.python > #197960
| From | Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> |
|---|---|
| Newsgroups | alt.comp.os.windows-10, alt.internet.wireless, comp.lang.python, comp.mobile.android, misc.phone.mobile.iphone |
| Subject | Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy |
| Date | 2026-09-07 04:23 +0300 |
| Organization | BWH Usenet Archive (https://usenet.blueworldhosting.com) |
| Message-ID | <117l3ne$247a$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com> (permalink) |
| References | (11 earlier) <117kvhf$m15$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com> <117kvjh$q0l$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com> <117kvm2$rb9$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com> <117kvoq$vkn$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com> <117kvrt$11kf$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com> |
Cross-posted to 5 groups.
With the code supplied above, anyone can easily track the movements of
every access point BSSID in the world (that is in Apple's WPS database).
*Surveilling the Masses with Wi-Fi-Based Positioning Systems*
<https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.14975>
Note the word "mass" indicates we can not only track a single BSSID's
location, but we can track every single BSSID in the world's location.
It's trivial to do, but only with Apple's WPS database.
It cannot be done with any other WPS database that I am aware of.
To his credit, Jon Ribbens proved the veracity of these statements by
tracking his own BSSID location using the Python code in that article.
====================================================================
From: Jon Ribbens <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python,misc.phone.mobile.iphone,comp.mobile.android,alt.internet.wireless,alt.comp.os.windows-10
Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2026 00:06:34 -0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: <slrn119pbka.8k8.jon+usenet@raven.unequivocal.eu>
> HINT: I can track the future location of every one of those billions of
> government ID/GPS location pairs, without any restrictions on my scripts!
>
> Want to prove that?
> What's your home router BSSID?
>
> I will not only tell you exactly where that router is located (I even wrote
> the Python code to give me a dot on an OSM map for your location) but I can
> trivially easily forever track that router's location forever, without any
> restrictions on my part (which is the point of the paper, after all).
Yes, I know that too now, after reading the paper. I downloaded the
code at https://github.com/darkosancanin/apple_bssid_locator (which
was originally uploaded in 2015) and ran it locally with my own AP
MAC address and confirmed it showed my home location very accurately.
It does concern me that there is an attack model here which is that
a mildly technically-inclined stalker can very easily get the BSSID
of their victim and, as you say, find out where they've gone if they
move house to get away from them.
====================================================================
For others to benefit from, in my records is this initial version of
apple_bssid_locator.py where when I ran it, I was horrified to find
that every one of my dozens of hidden access point BSSIDs were there!
I suggest each user on this thread who wishes to better understand the
nature of the problem set (as described by the paper), run this code.
#!/usr/bin/env -S uv run --script
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
# C:\app\os\python\apple_bssid_locator\apple_bssid_locator.py
# Queries Apple WPS database for GPS:BSSID location pairs
# Implementation based on https://github.com/hubert3/iSniff-GPS
#
# Usage: apple_bssid_locator.py 11:22:33:AA:BB:CC
# Usage: apple_bssid_locator.py 11:22:33:AA:BB:CC --all
# Usage: apple_bssid_locator.py 11:22:33:AA:BB:CC --map
#
# Changelog:
# v1p0 20251205 - Initial version from apple_bssid_locator.py
# v1p1 20251214 - Added logging to results.txt
# v1p2 20251215 - Timestamped results.txt to avoid overwrites
# v1p3 20251219 - Limited output to 6 decimal places
# v1p4 20251219 - Added raw integer output alongside converted decimals
# v1p5 20251222 - Fixed raw to decimal conversion (divide by 100 Million)
import argparse
import requests
import webbrowser
import AppleWLoc_pb2
def parse_arguments():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("bssid", type=str, help="display the location of
the bssid")
parser.add_argument("-m", "--map", help="shows the location on google
maps", action='store_true')
parser.add_argument("-a", "--all", help="shows all results returned,
not just the requested one", action='store_true')
args = parser.parse_args()
return args
def format_bssid(bssid):
return ':'.join(e.rjust(2, '0') for e in bssid.split(':'))
def query_bssid(bssid, output_file="results.txt"):
apple_wloc = AppleWLoc_pb2.AppleWLoc()
wifi_device = apple_wloc.wifi_devices.add()
wifi_device.bssid = bssid
apple_wloc.unknown_value1 = 0
apple_wloc.return_single_result = 0 # request ALL results
serialized_apple_wloc = apple_wloc.SerializeToString()
length_serialized_apple_wloc = len(serialized_apple_wloc)
headers = {'User-Agent':'locationd/1753.17 CFNetwork/889.9
Darwin/17.2.0'}
data =
b"\x00\x01\x00\x05"+b"en_US"+b"\x00\x13"+b"com.apple.locationd"+b"\x00\x0a"+b"8.1.12B411"+b"\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00"
+ bytes((length_serialized_apple_wloc,)) + serialized_apple_wloc
r = requests.post('https://gs-loc.apple.com/clls/wloc',
headers=headers, data=data)
apple_wloc = AppleWLoc_pb2.AppleWLoc()
apple_wloc.ParseFromString(r.content[10:])
# Build dictionary of results
results = {}
with open(output_file, "w") as f:
for wifi_device in apple_wloc.wifi_devices:
if wifi_device.HasField('location'):
raw_lat = wifi_device.location.latitude
raw_lon = wifi_device.location.longitude
lat = raw_lat * 1e-8
lon = raw_lon * 1e-8
mac = format_bssid(wifi_device.bssid)
results[mac] = (lat, lon, raw_lat, raw_lon)
# Write both raw integers and converted decimals (8
decimal places)
f.write(f"{mac}\t{raw_lat}\t{raw_lon}\t{lat:.8f}\t{lon:.8f}\n")
print(f"Saved {len(results)} entries to {output_file}")
return results
def main():
args = parse_arguments()
print("Searching for location of bssid: %s" % args.bssid)
results = query_bssid(args.bssid)
# Determine which BSSIDs to process
bssids_to_process = results.keys() if args.all else
[args.bssid.lower()]
found = False
for bssid in bssids_to_process:
if bssid in results:
lat, lon, raw_lat, raw_lon = results[bssid]
if lat == -180.0 and lon == -180.0:
continue # Skip entries that were not found
if found:
print()
print(f"BSSID: {bssid}")
print(f"Raw latitude integer: {raw_lat}")
print(f"Raw longitude integer: {raw_lon}")
print(f"Latitude (degrees): {lat:.8f}")
print(f"Longitude (degrees): {lon:.8f}")
if args.map:
url =
f"http://www.google.com/maps/place/{lat:.8f},{lon:.8f}"
webbrowser.open(url)
found = True
if not found:
print("The bssid was not found.")
if __name__ == '__main__':
main()
# end of C:\app\os\python\apple_bssid_locator\apple_bssid_locator.py
--
apple_bssid_locator.py
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Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-03 16:30 +0930
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-03 08:09 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-04 02:27 +0930
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-03 20:46 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 06:15 +0600
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Jon Ribbens <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu> - 2026-09-05 00:34 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 07:05 +0600
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Jon Ribbens <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu> - 2026-09-05 01:47 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 14:00 -0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Jon Ribbens <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu> - 2026-09-05 17:49 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 16:14 -0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Jon Ribbens <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu> - 2026-09-06 00:06 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-06 13:39 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Jon Ribbens <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu> - 2026-09-06 15:37 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-06 20:23 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 02:16 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-07 13:42 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 21:06 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-07 21:28 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-08 06:38 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-09-07 15:28 -0700
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "....winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2026-09-07 02:01 -0400
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Hank Rogers <Hank@nospam.invalid> - 2026-09-07 01:47 -0500
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Jon Ribbens <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu> - 2026-09-07 10:18 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-07 13:30 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 21:22 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> - 2026-09-07 22:28 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-08 07:22 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Jon Ribbens <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu> - 2026-09-08 10:44 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> - 2026-09-08 13:27 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Lane W <cactus_DAC@yahoo.com> - 2026-09-08 09:47 -0600
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-08 19:51 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2026-09-08 10:23 -0700
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> - 2026-09-08 18:12 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-08 22:18 +0400
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2026-09-09 19:46 -0700
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-09-25 23:43 +0800
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2026-09-25 13:14 -0700
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-09-26 04:41 +0800
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-25 22:17 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-09-26 07:26 +0800
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-08 18:59 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-08 21:20 +0400
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-08 19:37 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-08 19:26 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Lane W <cactus_DAC@yahoo.com> - 2026-09-08 11:36 -0600
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-08 20:05 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-08 20:35 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> - 2026-09-08 19:06 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-07 10:47 +0100
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-07 13:34 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-07 18:48 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-07 18:46 +0100
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> - 2026-09-07 14:04 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 03:47 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Nick Charles <none@none.none> - 2026-09-05 01:11 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 07:24 +0600
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-09-04 23:15 -0700
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 14:18 -0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-09-05 16:40 -0700
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 02:40 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 03:09 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 03:12 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 03:13 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 03:14 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 03:16 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 03:18 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 04:23 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-09-06 19:03 -0700
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> - 2026-09-06 11:57 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-05 06:44 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 14:35 -0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2026-09-03 15:48 -0700
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Anton Shepelev <anton.txt@gmail.moc> - 2026-09-04 02:02 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 07:46 +0600
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-04 10:28 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Jon Ribbens <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu> - 2026-09-04 11:44 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 20:28 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-07 21:45 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-07 21:28 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-08 07:38 +0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> - 2026-09-04 22:58 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 07:13 +0600
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> - 2026-09-05 07:57 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 14:48 -0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Lane W <cactus_DAC@yahoo.com> - 2026-09-05 12:13 -0600
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 15:18 -0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Lane W <cactus_DAC@yahoo.com> - 2026-09-05 12:25 -0600
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 16:22 -0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> - 2026-09-06 00:11 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2026-09-05 09:17 +0100
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> - 2026-09-05 11:22 +0000
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-05 15:13 -0300
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-09-06 20:39 +0200
Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-08 08:07 +0300
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