09-22-2020, 03:41 AM
We are using the word "location" in this discussion to mean a couple of different things; location as reported to the user in the Maps app, for instance, versus location as reported to other entities on the internet, "mostly" for commercial purposes.
As I understand the wiki article linked above, cell and wifi location is used to furnish location data to the user, as in the Maps app; whether that information is passed to others is controlled by the privacy settings. As far as I have been able to determine so far, the privacy settings appear to work, that is to say no location information is being passed along to others. I am just beginning to look into this, but a few days ago I turned on location services to see what happened, and so far no app has requested this information.
FWIW, I don't think any of the most intrusive apps are even available for Linux, for which I am grateful.
A point I am unclear about is my own phone's relation to Mozilla Location ... for some reason I have never seen the Mobian first time setup wizard mentioned in the wiki article; I am still using a very early image (Debian+Phosh, pre-Mobian) that has been upgraded many times ... so I never answered "yes" to sending Mozilla my location. This may be why I have trouble with Maps when on mobile data rather than WiFi ? Also why I seem to only get location from IP and GPS and not from cell ? Maybe I should get an up-to-date image on SD and try how that works.
Worth noting in passing that one obvious leak of location data is to Mozilla Location Services; how much personal identifying information is carried by this channel is something I do not know.
More on this topic, maybe, as I learn more.
As I understand the wiki article linked above, cell and wifi location is used to furnish location data to the user, as in the Maps app; whether that information is passed to others is controlled by the privacy settings. As far as I have been able to determine so far, the privacy settings appear to work, that is to say no location information is being passed along to others. I am just beginning to look into this, but a few days ago I turned on location services to see what happened, and so far no app has requested this information.
FWIW, I don't think any of the most intrusive apps are even available for Linux, for which I am grateful.
A point I am unclear about is my own phone's relation to Mozilla Location ... for some reason I have never seen the Mobian first time setup wizard mentioned in the wiki article; I am still using a very early image (Debian+Phosh, pre-Mobian) that has been upgraded many times ... so I never answered "yes" to sending Mozilla my location. This may be why I have trouble with Maps when on mobile data rather than WiFi ? Also why I seem to only get location from IP and GPS and not from cell ? Maybe I should get an up-to-date image on SD and try how that works.
Worth noting in passing that one obvious leak of location data is to Mozilla Location Services; how much personal identifying information is carried by this channel is something I do not know.
More on this topic, maybe, as I learn more.
BraveHeart running Mobian from SD card. Daily Driver.
