this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2025
84 points (95.7% liked)

Technology

76945 readers
3379 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
L3s@lemmy.world
enu@lemmy.world
technopagan@lemmy.world
L4s@lemmy.world
L3s@hackingne.ws
L4s@hackingne.ws
84
It's your fault my laptop knows where I am (www.amoses.dev)
submitted 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) by Xylight@lemdro.id to c/technology@lemmy.world
9 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Interesting article shared with me about the way Wi-Fi location services work.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 28 points 17 hours ago (4 children)

related : https://support.google.com/maps/answer/1725632?hl=en

How do I opt my access point out of Google Location services?

To opt out, change the SSID (name) of your Wi-Fi access point (your wireless network name) so that it ends with "_nomap." For example, if your SSID is "12345," you would change it to "12345_nomap."

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago

I recall this being announced a decade or more ago. At the time, I wasn't so jaded and was more surprised than anything else that it was opt-out rather than opt-in.

Now I'm more annoyed than surprised.

[–] phaedrus@piefed.world 45 points 16 hours ago

And just like robots.txt, I'm sure they will totally honor this in perpetuity

/s

[–] davidgro@lemmy.world 6 points 13 hours ago

I actually had to do that with my phone's hotspot name because I used to play Pokemon Go on a tablet which was Wi-Fi tethered to the phone. Before I renamed it to opt out, the game would randomly jump me to wherever the network had last been scanned any time the tablet's GPS got too flaky.

[–] undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch 13 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

And remember: this won’t work with “hidden” SSIDs.

From what I recall hidden SSIDs will always be used for location services.

[–] Scolding7300@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I thought hidden SSIDs aren't discoverable :(

[–] chaospatterns@lemmy.world 1 points 30 minutes ago

Every WiFi router and network has something called an SSID and a BSSID. The SSID is the friendly name that you use to show off your puns to your neighbors. The BSSID is a 6 byte MAC address. All devices use the BSSID when connecting and communicating.

With a non hidden SSID, your router broadcasts the SSID and BSSID.

The BSSID is actually is static and doesn't change and it's what is actually used for geo location.

When it's hidden, it doesn't send the SSID out, but sends out packets with the BSSID. Clients then scream out to the void "anybody know the SSID 'My Secret SSID??'" Then it'll respond.

So basically hidden networks still send out the unique identifying address and then when you take your phone with you, you're just telling everybody what your home WiFi is called.

Hidden SSIDs are not that useful.

[–] rhythmisaprancer@piefed.social 18 points 16 hours ago

That isn't great.