SDKs, RTB, and JavaScript: How Google and Cell Towers Track You Beyond Your Fingerprint
Location tracking routinely bypasses direct GPS permissions via embedded Software Development Kits (SDKs) and Real-Time Bidding (RTB) ad networks, yielding GPS coordinates even outside the US.
The conversation reveals a deep suspicion of corporate data handling. Some users argue that providers like Google/Apple should stop selling raw data because doing so undermines their ad-selling business model (Auli). Conversely, others cite inherent infrastructural vulnerabilities, noting that cell providers already possess location data for basic service, or that IP geolocation combined with accelerometers allows mapping against street layouts (tal).
Consensus points to a pervasive, multi-vector surveillance environment. Location data acquisition is not limited to user-facing apps; it flows through the web browser via JavaScript and can be mapped from core services like cell towers. The primary fault line remains trust: whether current tech giants are constrained by their own business models, or if their foundational infrastructure is inherently compromised.
Key Points
Location data is extracted via vectors beyond direct GPS permissions.
The community identified SDKs, RTB advertising, and browser JavaScript as major non-obvious collection points.
Corporate self-limitation prevents the sale of raw location data.
Auli stated that Google selling raw location data would fundamentally limit its ability to sell ads.
Basic service provision inherently compromises location privacy.
tal argued that cell providers already know location for basic service, and IP/accelerometer matching is possible.
Web browsers are active tracking endpoints.
FauxLiving pointed out that tracking occurs via JavaScript embedded in the web browser itself, not just within dedicated apps.
Mitigation can target ad infrastructure at the network level.
FauxLiving suggested blocking ad destinations across IoT devices using Pi-hole DNS manipulation.
Source Discussions (3)
This report was synthesized from the following Lemmy discussions, ranked by community score.