How to avoid being geolocated by your Wi-Fi router, which Apple, Google and Starlink can track

Researchers have discovered that billions of devices around the world can be accessed using public geolocation data from Apple, Google and Starlink. Beyond the strategic importance of this data within countries at war like Israel or Ukraine, this data raises the question of respect for the privacy of users.

While we use the Internet more and more, we also know that our personal data is increasingly exposed. Our private life can be completely exposed if we do not protect it sufficiently, since we know, for example, that Apple, with its AirTags tool, can be used for the purposes of marital espionage, for example. An obvious fact that certain Tech giants, such as Apple, Google and Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite Internet network, seemed not to have integrated.

It was necessary for researchers from the University of Maryland to put in front of them the proof that they had been able to trace, but also to use the public geolocation data of billions of Apple devices or belonging to the Starlink network for measurements to be taken. taken.

How Wi-Fi spot locator systems work at Apple, Google and Starlink

It is now almost impossible to do without Wi-Fi spots when we travel. The same goes for GPS. But these are all technologies that use our personal data. Because you should know that Wi-Fi access points, including those of Starlink systems, can be tracked without consent, which undermines respect for privacy.

Apple uses a Wi-Fi-based positioning system (WPS) that collects Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of Wi-Fi access points, called BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier). Apple devices near a hotspot record these BSSIDs and transmit their GPS location or that of surrounding cell towers. Apple’s API then returns a list of nearby BSSIDs, allowing devices to calculate their own location.

At Google, we work in the same way, but with a major difference. Google devices also collect the BSSIDs of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and send this list to a server. Google’s server uses this data to calculate the device’s location and returns this information to the user. This process requires at least two BSSIDs to determine the approximate location.

Starlink is not left out and also integrates Wi-Fi access points into its terminals. These access points, once detected by nearby Apple or Google devices, have their BSSIDs recorded and geolocated in the same way. This helps determine the location of Starlink terminals, which has raised privacy concerns, particularly in conflict zones, as the researchers highlighted in their report.

How to avoid being geolocated by your Wi-Fi router

To avoid unwanted localization, Starlink has started randomizing the BSSIDs of its routers. Apple also allows users to opt out of data collection by adding “_nomap” to the end of their Wi-Fi network name (SSID), preventing indexing by location systems.

But as one is never better served than by oneself, Clubic gives you some tips to avoid being geolocated by your Wi-Fi router by services like those from Apple and Starlink.

One of the easiest ways to avoid being geotagged is to turn off Wi-Fi on your devices when you don’t need it. This prevents devices from connecting to your router and transmitting location information.

Next, make sure your device’s privacy settings are configured to limit sharing your location with third parties.

Don’t hesitate to install a VPN to hide your IP address and encrypt your internet traffic, making it harder for third parties to track your location. However, it does not necessarily hide the location of your Wi-Fi router.

If your router allows it, you can turn off the Wi-Fi location feature, so take advantage of it! You can also change the Service Set IDentifier (SSID) of your router regularly to make it harder to track. Likewise, some devices allow MAC address randomization.
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Finally, and again, if your router has this option, put the Wi-Fi geolocation option on connected devices to OFF, which does not disable Wi-Fi.

Source : KrebsonSecurity, University of Maryland