How to disable tracking

[oden]

Anyone know how to disable phone tracking under the family plan with ATt?

[ElumEno]

Leave your personal phone at the office and get a burner.





I know I know... typical smartass ECCIE reply.

[Unique_Carpenter]

Turn off the gps on the phone.
Or
Remove tracking from family plan billing

However, if the SO sees either of those (can't track you), the fan will go to high speed.

Thus, EE's comment is valid.

[GiveMeLibertyOrGiveMeHead]

The question I have is, who is tracking you? If it is the SO then you need to choose between her and the hobby. It's hard enough to hobby with an SO that trusts you. It's almost impossible to hobby when your SO doesn't trust you and if she is tracking you...she does not trust you. Leaving your phone at the office or gym or wherever is going to get old really quick and she will catch you. I suggest you lay low for a while and work on gaining her trust.

Either way, good luck.

[oden]

Thanks for the advice. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, I just don't want to be tracked wherever I go. It seems that an adult should not have to be subject to being tracked and there should be a way to have that turned off other than removing the battery and the SIM card.

[GiveMeLibertyOrGiveMeHead]

So, tracking or "Family Map" on AT&T's Family Plan is a service you pay for and not something automatically turned on. Whoever the administrator of the account is can turn this service on or off. If you are the administrator on the account then you can call and make sure it is off. If someone else turned it on though, there is not much you can do besides getting your own account.

Do you know for a fact that tracking is turned on on your phone? You would have received a text message if it was turned on by the way. also turning GPS off does not guarantee that you are not being tracked.

Hope that was helpful.

[The Eternal Bachelor]

Just put the phone in an EMF/RF-shielded bag and it will block all signals. You don't need to turn the phone off, take out the battery or the sim card.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...eld+cell+phone

[TownCryer]

Several layers of aluminum foil will also work, this is less alarming than a purchased item from amazon. I like to use items that do not raise questions. If your SO does not trust you any item out of place it ring bells. Some chip bags work, place the phone in the bag and see if it will ring when you call it with a different phone. I have had GPS for the car not update if not in the car window. Just remember if the phone goes off the grid and someone is watching it they will not be able to find (see) you which is the purpose of the tracking in the first place.

[sketchball82]

Hi Oden. I have a technical background at the doctorate level, and I often work in the cellular arts, working with the structure of a communication frame for wireless communication for several well known clients.

The Eternal Bachelor and TownCryer have the only correct answers.

The settings on your phone are only related to your ability to track your phone with software and GPS. The cell phone company has the ability to literally triangulate your position with cell towers if you're in a busy area with dense cell tower coverage, which is less accurate than GPS, but accurate enough. Further, bugs in the phone could allow you to be tracked. Or government may use other means.

The only way to block all these pathways is to completely terminate any transmissions. The best way to do that is an RF shield, which can be purchased (copper as the active ingredient generally) or you can substitute aluminum foil if you wish to do it on the cheap.

[YoHou]

Originally Posted by sketchball82

The only way to block all these pathways is to completely terminate any transmissions. The best way to do that is an RF shield, which can be purchased (copper as the active ingredient generally) or you can substitute aluminum foil if you wish to do it on the cheap.

Copper is an element and not an ingredient.

Also, if you are wondering what sketchball is talking about is called a faraday cage.

My best advice is the same as what the other people have said:

get a burner, buy it with cash, and leave your phone at your office. If you must bring your phone with you, disconnect the battery so it's a brick and you not logged in the cell phone tower pings or the GPS.


You can buy faraday cages on amazon (search for faraday cage cell phone)

[oldbutstillgoing]

An ingredient is something used to make something else. While copper is an element, it is also an ingredient.

Burner or "Hobby" phone is the better way to go.

[Samcro84]

My burner stays hidden in MY car, only use when in my car alone.

[ck1942]

Hate to be a realist and a downer, but:

"Tracking" these days is a reality and not a "virtual" reality, either.

In the U.S., almost anywhere we go, or anywhere we even just sit down for a moment, we are being "watched" at the very least even if not tracked. Many establishments, malls, etc. have cameras watching 24x7. In many European countries, the cameras are also on public streets, even byways, and not only are the cameras watching, but in many instances they are being monitored either actively or only during certain events, dates or times.

Although your phone may be turned OFF, if you are driving somewhere and your vehicle is anywhere near recent vintage, quite likely you have some sort of tracking/reporting device installed during manufacture.

Does GM "On-Star" or Hyundai :Blue Link" or any of the other major manufacturers' similar product sound familiar? Mostly these "services" are merely reporting data, such as mileage marks, but, imo, most of them also have some sort of GPS functionality either active during vehicle operation or in stand-by mode waiting for the vehicle operator to demand assistance.

Did you not read recently about the DEA's license plate tracking data base? Dashcams on virtually all LE vehicles may have such tracking/recording abilities in place and/or on during vehicle operation. Even if the LEOs are not immediately looking for ticket scofflaws or searching for warrant violators.

Thing is -- while we may not be able to counter the actions of modern technology, what we can do is be aware that technology and figure out how to diminish our individual profile visibility.

I have known vice cops in SA and in other major cities who used to have the beat patrols note car tags in high traffic vice locations -- mostly drugs, but also prostitution. While these were always on paper, the VCs would get an office clerk to enter relevant data into a spread sheet and those printouts were invaluable (LEOs' comment to me on occasion) resources in tracking pimps and hookers, drug dealers, and sometimes drug users and johns!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Those who regularly cruise "street" areas looking for SWs are for sure in a data base or a data capture somewhere... and if in either one, if you get stopped by patrol LEO in a "known" area, LEO usually already knows you have been there before, if he doesn't already know, when he runs your tag or DL he either gets that info or ====> he is adding your current info into a data base somewhere. That doesn't mean the data base can be used immediately as "evidence" in an arrest, but it may give the LEOs "probable cause" to search or detain or to obtain a search warrant.

Using the new Apple Pay feature on your iPhone or anything similar on an Android? Or a credit card at a terminal; they all leave a data trail somewhere somehow.

Many other "life" functions are also very easily tracked.... even if you use an "anonymizer" browser, TOR or phone to search the web.

Ever notice that your GMail "ads" might have something to do with places or sites you've cruised? If you are on the NY Times website often enough, your IPs have been logged even if you never logged into the site itself ... and you are very likely to be presented with adverts for stuff you looked for in the past, and not looked for on the Times website.

= = = =

Not trying to scare anyone, just remarking on the ubiquity of "tracking" both electronically, technologically, and on the pavement, too.

= = = =

Keeping a burner "in the car" makes sense, assuming no one else has access to the vehicle.

But just like having a "rain-coat" in your pocket "just in case" you get lucky in the strip club works in the strip club, when you at night empty your pockets onto the dresser top and forgot to return the rain-coat to the burner phone container ... oh! oh! (happened to me, but I got up before she did! Thank the Lord!)

Might be better to just leave the burner in plain sight -- but have a rationale for doing so (mine is a personal family phone and a business only phone, and, if the business phone dies I can either swap batteries or SIM cards or both).

No matter when I get home at the end of the day I always shower, since my feet "sweat a lot during the day and foot care is very important" not to mention that washing away any "evidence" of fun-n-games is eqally vital.

Happy Hobbying!