Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet

From	Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net>
Newsgroups	comp.mobile.android, alt.internet.wireless, alt.os.linux
Subject	Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet
Date	2016-09-16 19:30 +0000
Organization	Aioe.org NNTP Server
Message-ID	<nrhh7q$57i$1@gioia.aioe.org> (permalink)
References	<nr84lg$1sfk$1@gioia.aioe.org> <2sblad-pcn.ln1@Telcontar.valinor> <nr986l$1tso$1@gioia.aioe.org> <3udltb1vqlkktr6d3pnfadg8bvu4sij9gl@4ax.com>

Cross-posted to 3 groups.

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On Thu, 15 Sep 2016 08:31:02 -0700, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

> Note:  No more Q&A from me for a few more days.  I sprained both
> wrists and it hurts to type.

Hi Jeff,
There really is only one question, which is the following:

QUESTION:
- Under what conditions does a cellphone SSID/MAC/SS get put into the 
Google Public API by *other* (poorly configured) Android cellphones?

>>So, my key question is *when* does a mobile device broadcast it's MAC
>>address (BSSID & SSID)?
> 
> The source and destination MAC address of ALL Wi-Fi packets are in the
> 802.11 packet headers.  For broadcasts and management packets, only
> the source MAC address is present.  The address is NOT encrypted. Note
> that all 802.11 Wi-Fi is done on Layer 2 (MAC layer) and does not
> involve Layer 3 (IP layer).

While I realize the *packet* contains the MAC address of the cellphone
2.4GHz and 5GHz radios, what I'm asking is under what contitions *that* MAC
address is handed over to the Google Public Database (along with your SSID,
GPS location, and signal strength) by most poorly configured Android
devices.

>>Does a mobile device broadcast its MAC address when acting as a hotspot,
>>for example?
> 
> Yes.  Broadcasts include the source MAC address, but no destination
> MAC address because they go to all devices on the network.  For
> example, an ARP request packet, which asks "which device MAC address
> has this IP address?", includes the MAC address of the device that
> asked for the information, but nothing in the destination field.

This is key!
My whole question is when does the cellphone (whether iOS or Android) get
its MAC address put into the Google Public Database.

The Google Public Database obtains its information from poorly configured
Android devices which hand to Google every day all the public APIs that
these phones encounter (along with the Mac address of the API, the Signal
Strength of the API, and the current GPS location of the cellphone).

So you have confirmed that any cellphone (iOS or Android) which broadcasts
itself as an access point (whether it has security or not), will almost
certainly already be *in* the Google Public Database.

That means that any cellphone broadcasting as an access point will have:
a. Its last GPS location in the Google Public API
b. Its last signal strength in the Google Public API
c. Its MAC address in the Google Public API
d. And its SSID in the Google Public API

So, notice the flaw?
If I know the MAC address of teh ios or Android phone, and I know the MAC
address of the router at the local starbucks, I can query the Google
database to see if the two are in close proximity to each other.

*that* is the tracking I'm discussing.

>>Once the MAC address is broadcast as an AP, *all* the (poorly configured)
>>Android devices in the vicinity will throw the user under the bus by
>>handing that MAC address (and much more) to Google's constantly updated
>>database.
> 
> Yep.  Resistance if futile.  You've already been assimilated.

You've confirmed that if the iOS or Android cellphone is broadcasting its
SSID (whether enrypted or not) as an Access Point, then its GPS location,
SSID, BSSID, and Signal Strength is already in the Google Database, because
all poorly configured Android devices that encounter that iOS or Android
cellphone will be reporting it to Google every single day.

However, the question remains:

REMAINING QUESTION:
- Under what *other* conditions (other than broadcasting as an Access
Point) does an iOS or Android cellphone get put into the Google PUblic API
by poorly configrued Android devices?

I can't think of any other circumstances where the iOS or Android device
SSID/MAC/SS? and GPS location will be put into the Google Database, but
that's the question.

Is there any other time, other than when acting as an Access Point, that
the iOS or Android cellphone will have its SSID/MAC/SS & GPS location put
into the Google Public Database by poorly configured Android cellphones?

Thread

How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-13 06:00 +0000
  Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@invalid.es> - 2016-09-13 15:34 +0200
    Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-13 16:06 +0000
      Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@invalid.es> - 2016-09-14 00:20 +0200
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-14 04:41 +0000
      Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet William Unruh <unruh@invalid.ca> - 2016-09-14 00:27 +0000
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-14 04:41 +0000
          Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2016-09-14 07:35 +0100
          Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> - 2016-09-14 07:54 +0000
            Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2016-09-15 11:53 +0100
          Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet pamela <invalid@nospam.com> - 2016-09-17 14:28 +0100
            Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2016-09-17 21:30 +0100
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2016-09-15 08:45 -0700
          Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2016-09-15 08:51 -0700
            Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-16 19:30 +0000
          Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-16 18:43 +0000
            Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2016-09-16 20:08 +0100
              Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2016-09-17 09:17 +0100
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> - 2016-09-17 17:27 +0000
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-18 02:12 +0000
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> - 2016-09-19 15:42 +0000
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-19 16:33 +0000
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> - 2016-09-19 17:42 +0000
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2016-09-19 18:41 +0100
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-20 03:21 +0000
            Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2016-09-16 13:04 -0700
              Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-17 20:23 +0000
      Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2016-09-15 08:31 -0700
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet AL <noemail@none.invalid.com> - 2016-09-15 09:49 -0700
          Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-16 19:33 +0000
            Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@invalid.es> - 2016-09-19 19:22 +0200
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-16 19:30 +0000
          Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2016-09-16 13:16 -0700
            Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-17 04:52 +0000
  Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet William Unruh <unruh@invalid.ca> - 2016-09-14 00:24 +0000
    Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-14 04:40 +0000
      Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet bruce <bruce@invalid.dyndns.tv.invalid> - 2016-09-14 18:41 -0400
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-16 19:56 +0000
          Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet bruce <bruce@invalid.dyndns.tv.invalid> - 2016-09-17 16:12 -0400
            Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Winston <wbe@UBEBLOCK.psr.com.invalid> - 2016-09-17 19:04 -0400
              Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-18 03:43 +0000
            Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-18 02:30 +0000
              Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet nospam <nospam@nospam.invalid> - 2016-09-17 22:54 -0400
            Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-18 03:43 +0000
      Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Winston <wbe@UBEBLOCK.psr.com.invalid> - 2016-09-15 01:04 -0400
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-16 23:17 +0000
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-16 23:36 +0000
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-17 01:59 +0000
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-17 01:59 +0000
          Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2016-09-16 22:22 -0700
            Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-17 06:17 +0000
              Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-17 06:32 +0000
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet nospam <nospam@nospam.invalid> - 2016-09-17 10:08 -0400
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Peter Köhlmann <peter-koehlmann@t-online.de> - 2016-09-17 16:13 +0200
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-18 03:43 +0000
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-18 03:49 +0000
                Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-18 04:00 +0000
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-17 01:59 +0000
        Re: How to look up the GPS location of your MAC address or car on the Internet Horace Algier <horatio@horatio.net> - 2016-09-17 02:00 +0000

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