Recently like all of us learned that location data along with other data is sold by phone companies. I was wondering does having a VPN somehow block phone companies from getting that data or does VPN have nothing to do with that since the data is coming from the cell towers?
Referring to this article:
No, a VPN will not mask your cell radio which connects to cell towers where your location can be triangulated to within 500 feet or so. This is what the article refers to. A VPN will mask your location from your cell carrier over 4G LTE or from your ISP over WiFi for activity on the internet. Still, your cell carrier can get your location regardless by cell tower triangulation. What you can do is turn off location and web activity if you have an Android and call *#*#4636#*#* and then hit “Phone Information”, scroll down and toggle off “Cellular Radio Power”. If you then use a VPN to access WiFi your location *should be secure, but who knows how many backdoors have been put on cell phones.
Nothing to do with it.
THANK YOU! Wow. Very helpful.
But what us cellular radio power used for, and can you go ok without it?
What if you have an iPhone?
Cell radio connects to cell towers so you can make phone calls or send SMS as well as it connects to 4G LTE for data. If you turn it off, your phone can’t do any texts, calls or anything over data unless you have access to WiFi for data. If you use an app like Signal over WiFi, you can then make anonymous and E2EE calls or texts over WiFi to another Signal user. Remember, they will retain every cell radio SMS you send/receive for up to three years. Not with Signal, which you can use securely even if cell radio is turned on over 4G LTE or WiFi. As I mentioned, though, turning off location/GPS and cell radio may not guarantee your location still can’t be tracked as there could be other unknown backdoors, the FBI can remotely activate your cell radio (with a court order), etc.