|
All digital mobile phones used in the UK have an IMEI number. This cannot be changed. Even if the phone is blocked ( lost, stolen) any attempt to use it will register.
If the SIM is changed the IMEI remains the same. When a phone connects with a mast the IMEI number is one of the data items used to check the credentials. The location and ID of the masts is of course known to the operator.
This data can be used to track a phone in real time down to the resolution of a cell. This can vary from a at most a few hundred yards in Winchester to a mile or so in the boondocks. With 5G 50m at most.
Using triangulation in real time the police can follow suspects. The suspects of course know this hence "burner phones" which give the county lines people a false sense of invulnerability. With all phones the IMEI ID can be tracked even with the phone off. With older 3G phones the battery can easily be removed unlike most mobiles sold in the last 10 years.
Mobile phone major mapping apps do not use the IMEI number for geolocation for various reasons. For real time navigation they use a mix of GPS and ip location. This is extremely accurate when used on the road. Inside a house a modern mapping app will fall back on ip location which is usually good to a mile or so. Old 3G phones without GPS cannot give a very good location fix but the authoriites can of course use IMEI. GPS needs at least 6 data points.
If and when the government decides to use mobile phone tracking software then any movement advantages / restrictions will depend on possession of a registered 4G smartphone. Those who leave their phone at home / don't have one will fall into the no movement category. There has been no decision on this to date though several firms are running trials mostly based on cell location. .One is closely connected to a guy name of Cummings.
The government knows that any relaxation of lockdown is v unsafe without a lot of track and trace testing - for which it does not have anything like the resources needed - or smart phone apps. Yes, there are serious/horrendous civil liberty issues as well as the thorny question of provisioning phones and accounts. Care homes, rough sleepers and victims of UC come to mind.
The 3G data network is in the course of being closed down with a target date of 2022. That also applies to the 2G voice component in many countries such as Australia. In the UK 2G is used by the series 1 smartmeters and various device2device machines and is good for another 10 years. ISPs though are likely to stop supporting mobile 2G/3G sooner. They want the bandwidth to use with 5G.
Many modern 4G/5G mobile phones have a feature called wifi dialling whereby all cellphone connection features are enabled using a wifi router. This kicks in automatically if there is no signal, Unfortunately many ISPs see it as a sales feature and have not enabled it for all users. If the govt does decide on cellphone tracking then this will have to be a standard feature.
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. "
G Orwell
|
|
My sister uses he smartphone for everything - she blames the cookies!
Because we haven't downloaded the 'track' app - we're confusing the system!
Long may it last! :-D :-D :-D
|
|
No, Maggie. All my computing is done on a desk-top at home. I haven't anything else, not even a smartphone!
Last time I looked up anything some distance away from home, it was a wedding venue in Lancashire (now postponed). The next time I opened Google Maps, it showed Prestonpans - which the last time I heard was in Scotland and nowhere near Lancashire!! :-S :-S
|
|
That's interesting, Andysmum - do you use something you rarely take out to look up things?
Speaking to my sister tonight - who uses her smartphone to look things up, wherever she is - even her position can be wrong.
Makes you wonder about the Government's plan, via an app, to let you know if a potential coronavirus sufferer is near you! :-D
I mean if they 'potentially' have coronavirus, they should be at home.
There's also not much point in telling you there's a potential carrier in East Street, Southampton, when you're in East Street, Reading!
|
|
I have this too!! I actually find it funny. The furthest away I've been is Northern Ireland, and then they eventually got nearer home, and I now live in a succession of places within about 10 miles.
I think it is caused by my use of Google Maps, as I use them for looking at places from John o' Groats to Lands End and abroad. Each time I open it, I am living somewhere else!! :-D
|
|
Today, I am (apparently) in Fareham! :-D
I have temp agencies that offer me work. If I'm interested, I send them my CV, (with my pay as you go mobile number) and the area I wish to work in.
A short while back, I was researching my dad's side of the family - 100% Cornish.
I started getting job offers in Cornwall from one agency!
A swift email was sent pointing out that I object to outside forces attempting to track/hack me through my internet browsing, before 'unsubmitting' future emails from them.
|
|
yeah Although I'm based in Peterborough I sometimes "dwell" in Chatteris....
Avg is not much more accurate either(thankfully)
according to some spam emails I am often available in Taiwan...
|
|
I have a pay as you go very basic mobile phone, a tablet, a PC and a smartphone that my sister bought for me as she thought I needed it (I don't!)
I usually use the PC at home, and take the basic mobile with me.
The smartphone rarely moves, the tablet comes with me if I stay away from home.
What I find intriguing, is Google's attempts to 'track' me!
If I look at a map (on the PC), it quite often (wrongly) informs me where I am.
Other 'giveaways' are the 'Find singles in XXX' ads
I find I live in Reading, Chandler's Ford, Hastings and, occasionally Winchester!
Today, I live in Cowgrove, Wimborne, Dorset.
I'm going to make a note of where I 'live', and when the lockdown is over, those not too far away, I shall visit!
:-D :-D :-D
|
