How GPS Actually Works on Your Phone (not what you think)

Summary

This video script clarifies misconceptions about GPS function on modern smartphones, explaining how it operates and its evolution from military to civilian use. It details the GPS technology, the role of additional global positioning systems like Galileo and GLONASS, and the privacy implications of location data emitted by phones. The script also delves into the mechanics of GPS signal reception, the use of Wi-Fi for location triangulation, and the continuous data leakage to tech giants like Google and Apple, offering insights into privacy concerns and potential solutions.

Takeaways

• 📡 Most people are unaware of how GPS functions and the potential privacy issues it may bring.
• 🛰️ GPS relies on signals from 24 satellites orbiting Earth, each transmitting their position and synchronized time.
• 📍 A GPS device calculates its position by receiving signals from at least four satellites, using triangulation and time synchronization.
• 🔒 GPS devices are receivers and do not emit data; they rely on signals from satellites, not the other way around.
• 🌐 Besides the US GPS, there are other global positioning systems like Galileo, BeiDou, GLONASS, and QZSS, contributing to a more robust positioning.
• 📲 Modern smartphones use a standardized GPS chip, often part of a combined Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS system on a chip (SoC).
• 🏠 GPS signals are weak and do not penetrate buildings, making indoor navigation challenging without additional technologies.
• 📶 It's possible to block GPS signals by creating noise in the frequencies used by GPS, which can be done with simple equipment.
• 📡 GPS data from phones can be enhanced by SUPL (Secure User Plane Location), which uses cell tower data to improve GPS signal acquisition speed.
• 🔍 Wi-Fi scanning is used for precise location tracking, especially indoors, by identifying nearby Wi-Fi routers and their MAC addresses.
• 🔒 Google and Apple maintain databases of Wi-Fi routers and their locations, enabling them to determine the user's location with high accuracy.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is explaining how GPS functions on a modern phone, addressing misconceptions, and discussing privacy issues associated with GPS usage.

How many GPS satellites are there, and what do they transmit?

There are 24 GPS satellites that constantly transmit their position coordinates and the exact time associated with the location, synchronized to an atomic clock.

Why does a GPS device need data from at least four satellites to compute a position fix?

A GPS device needs data from at least four satellites to triangulate the position and one additional satellite for time synchronization, ensuring precision in the position fix.

What is the role of the fourth satellite in the GPS system?

The fourth satellite is used to verify the time synchronization, as the position fix is computed based on the time it takes for the signal to reach the device from the three other satellites.

Why do GPS signals not work well indoors?

GPS signals are very weak radio waves and do not have enough power to penetrate through roofs or walls, making them ineffective for indoor use.

Outlines

00:00

📡 Understanding GPS and Privacy Concerns

This paragraph addresses common misconceptions about GPS, explaining how it functions on modern phones compared to older devices. It clarifies that GPS does not continuously broadcast one's location to satellites. The narrator will delve into the original GPS technology, which was military-based and has since evolved, and discuss the global positioning satellite system created by the US, consisting of 24 satellites that transmit their positions and timestamps. The paragraph emphasizes that GPS devices are receivers of data, not emitters, and that the process of triangulation using signals from at least four satellites allows for precise location fixing.

05:00

🛰️ GPS Technology and its Evolution

The second paragraph discusses the GPS receivers in modern smartphones, which are typically standardized chips, often made by Broadcom, integrated into the phone's motherboard. It explains that the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is now the term used instead of GPS, as it encompasses all available satellite systems, not just the US's. The paragraph also touches on the historical accuracy restrictions of GPS for civilian use, which have since been lifted, and the importance of accurate GPS signals for modern applications like autonomous vehicles. Additionally, it covers the concept of GPS signal blocking and the potential privacy implications of GPS signal manipulation.

10:01

📶 GPS, Cell Towers, and Wi-Fi Triangulation

This paragraph explores the role of cell towers and Wi-Fi in enhancing GPS functionality. It introduces Supple, a feature now owned by Google, which uses the nearest cell tower data to quickly determine a device's location. The paragraph also explains how Wi-Fi scanning contributes to location accuracy, particularly in indoor environments where GPS signals are weak. It details the process of Wi-Fi triangulation, where the MAC addresses of nearby Wi-Fi routers are used in conjunction with signal strength to pinpoint a device's location. The narrator highlights the privacy concerns associated with this data collection and the fact that major tech companies like Google and Apple maintain extensive databases of Wi-Fi routers and their locations.

15:02

🔒 Privacy and the Constant Emission of GPS Data

The final paragraph delves into the privacy implications of the constant emission of GPS data by smartphones. It explains that while the GPS itself is not the main privacy concern, the internet connection on a phone is, as it allows for the continuous transmission of location data. The paragraph discusses the inability to stop this data transmission on standard phones and the potential for tech companies to track user movements. It contrasts this with devices like the Brax 2 phone, which does not communicate location data to Google, offering a more private alternative. The narrator concludes by promoting products designed to protect privacy, such as the Brax 2 phone, VPN services, and email solutions that eliminate metadata.

Keywords

💡GPS

GPS stands for Global Positioning System, a technology that allows devices to determine their exact location on Earth using signals from satellites. In the video, GPS is explained as a receiver that acquires data from at least four satellites to compute the position of the device, emphasizing that it does not emit any location data itself.

💡satellites

Satellites are objects placed in orbit around the Earth, which transmit signals used by GPS devices to determine location. The video discusses how 24 US satellites, among others from different countries, continuously transmit their position coordinates and time, which GPS receivers use to triangulate the device's location.

💡triangulation

Triangulation is a method used by GPS receivers to determine their location by measuring the time it takes for signals from multiple satellites to reach the device. The video describes how the GPS device uses data from at least three satellites to calculate its position and a fourth for time synchronization.

💡GNSS

GNSS, or Global Navigation Satellite System, refers to the broader system encompassing various satellite navigation systems like GPS, Galileo, Baidu, and GLONASS. The video mentions that modern phones use GNSS instead of just GPS because they utilize all available positioning satellites from different countries.

💡Broadcom

Broadcom is a company known for manufacturing chips that integrate Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS functions. The video highlights that the positioning module in modern phones is typically a Broadcom chip, which supports GNSS for improved accuracy.

💡Wi-Fi triangulation

Wi-Fi triangulation is a method of determining a device's location by analyzing the signal strengths of nearby Wi-Fi routers. The video explains how, in the absence of a GPS signal, devices can use Wi-Fi triangulation by sending the MAC addresses and signal strengths of routers to a network location provider like Google or Apple.

💡SUPL

SUPL, or Secure User Plane Location, is a feature that enhances the speed and accuracy of GPS by using data from cell towers. The video states that SUPL, now owned by Google, allows phones to quickly acquire GPS signals by identifying the nearest cell towers and receiving the corresponding satellite data.

💡atomic clock

An atomic clock is a highly accurate clock used in satellites to synchronize the time transmitted with location data. The video explains that the precise timing provided by atomic clocks is crucial for the GPS system to calculate the device's position accurately.

💡privacy concerns

Privacy concerns related to GPS involve the potential for location data to be tracked and shared without the user's consent. The video addresses misconceptions about GPS and highlights that while the GPS itself does not emit location data, other features like Wi-Fi triangulation and SUPL can lead to privacy issues.

💡Brax2 phone

The Brax2 phone is a device designed to prioritize user privacy by removing Google services and preventing location tracking. The video promotes the Brax2 phone, explaining that it runs on an open-source operating system (AOSP) and does not communicate location data to Google, offering a solution for users concerned about privacy.

Highlights

Most people are unaware of how GPS functions and its associated privacy issues.

The GPS function on modern phones has evolved significantly from the 2000s.

The original GPS system was created by the US with 24 satellites transmitting their positions and synchronized times.

GPS devices compute a position fix by triangulating signals from at least four satellites.

Other countries have developed their own global positioning systems, such as Galileo, BeiDou, and GLONASS.

Modern smartphones use a standardized GPS chip, often made by Broadcom, integrated with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

GPS signals are weak and can be easily blocked by creating noise in the frequencies used by GPS.

Supple (Secure User Plane Location) is a feature owned by Google that improves GPS location accuracy by using cell tower data.

Wi-Fi scanning is used for location tracking, especially indoors where GPS signals are weak.

Google and Apple maintain databases of Wi-Fi routers' MAC addresses and their exact locations for precise location tracking.

Standard phones continuously emit GPS location data, which can be stored in Google's Sensor Vault.

The company behind the video creates privacy-protecting products, including the Brax 2 phone and VPN services.

Brax OS and Googled phones offer alternatives to standard phones for enhanced privacy.

Braxmill is a service that provides privacy-focused email domains and eliminates metadata from emails.

The video emphasizes the importance of understanding GPS technology and its privacy implications.

Transcripts

based on comments left in my videos I

just realized that most people do not

know how GPS works and do not know if if

there are any privacy issues associated

with the GPS function some ask questions

like is there a way to disable the GPS

chip

in this video I will focus specifically

on how GPS functions on a modern phone

it is definitely not the same as it was

in the 2000s were handheld devices were

becoming a thing

but I will focus specifically on the GPS

function on a mobile phone this is very

specific there are no GPS devices on the

computer for example not sure many know

that either yet a computer can find your

location almost as accurately as a GPS

stay right there for another learning

moment about the tech involved with the

GPS feature on your phone

[Music]

the biggest misconception by non-techies

is that your phone is beaming out your

location to the world satellites

constantly now there is some snippet of

Truth in this but not in the way most

are thinking so we will eliminate the

misconceptions because it makes the

operation of the GPS sound like it's

part of some conspiracy theory first I

will discuss the mechanics of the GPS

technology itself as it was first

created this has been modified somewhat

over the years but I'll get to that

later we will start with the base

technology which many consumers have

used since 2000 or right before that it

was used in military applications way

before that though let's talk about the

original GPS system or global

positioning satellite system as created

by the US

there are 24 satellites roaming in orbit

around the Earth

now the Flat Earth people will state

that there are no satellites so we'll

ignore that for now each satellite is

constantly transmitting its position

coordinate all the 24 satellites are

doing this together with the position

coordinates the satellite also transmits

the time associated with the location

this time is very exact each satellite

is synchronized to an atomic clock so

this will be consistent

the way a receiving GPS handheld device

gets a position is by acquiring location

data from at least four satellites again

you're receiving the location of the

satellite not your device

without a this takes a while up to a

couple of minutes since the GPS device

will listen for data

on the known frequencies used by the 24

satellites

once it captures data from four

satellites then it can compute a

position fix at the point of the

handheld device

the position fix is made by

triangulating the known positions of the

satellites to the time it takes for the

signal to reach your handheld device

as I already mentioned this is based on

an atomic clock so there's a lot of

precision in the time in milliseconds

the computation of the position is done

by the handheld device the fourth

satellite though is just used to verify

the time so three are used to

triangulate position and one satellite

for time synchronization so far you will

see that the device does not emit any

data it is just a receiver

this by the way is the same way a Sirius

XM receiver receives streaming audio

from the satellite it is received only

now it doesn't end here and there is

data that is emitted from a phone I'll

get to that later but you will discover

that the emitted data is not through the

GPS system itself in the meantime let's

expand the story there are actually

plenty more satellites than the ones

offered by GPS from the USA

in the past there were threats from the

US government that GPS signals could be

stopped during time of arm Conflict for

example so it should come as no surprise

that other countries have come up with

their own Global Positioning Systems

there are several the EU created a

system called Galileo the Chinese made a

system called Baidu and the Russians

have their own called glonass Japan also

added more satellites and their system

is called qzs now I mentioned the Flat

Earth people

it's interesting how so many different

countries

decided to fly multiple satellites to

Earth orbit without coordinating with

each other

in fact with competing interests to the

USA

hmm

okay let's move on the GPS receivers on

the phones are actually just a

standardized chip I'm guessing that most

are made by broadcom and are part of the

Wi-Fi Bluetooth GPS SOC built into phone

motherboards

and to be accurate the global

positioning module on a phone is called

gnss instead of GPS this is because the

positioning system utilizes all

positioning satellites apparently all

these countries agreed to share before

the 2000s the US GPS system had some

restrictions to accuracy for Consumer

use only the military systems had better

accuracy the USA version had an initial

accuracy of 16 feet but the Russian

glonass version was refined to 6.6 feet

today GPS signals give a more robust

position which is especially important

for self-driving cars the stated

accuracy of the new USA satellites is

within 11.8 inches so again the broadcom

Wi-Fi Bluetooth GPS chip on your phone

is doing the position fix

there is a logic to why someone would

want to combine Wi-Fi and GPS on the

same chip because in modern Computing

devices location is determined not just

by the GPS but also by Wi-Fi

now I will continue to refer to the

positioning system as GPS

although I had already told you that it

is actually referred to as gnss GPS is

more recognizable so we'll stick to that

now let her find a story further the

satellites all emit a signal which as I

said earlier is a position and timestamp

and these are on well-known and

pre-published frequencies

here's an interesting factoid the GPS

signals are very weak radio waves this

is why GPS doesn't work indoors there's

not enough power for it to go through

your roof or walls

I will add one more fact here

it is very easy to block GPS in fact you

don't even need a strong signal to block

GPS

if you create noise in the frequencies

used by a GPS you will block GPS

reception by all devices in the area

because the required noise signal would

be so weak it likely wouldn't be

detectable from a distance and thus even

if this is officially illegal in the U.S

per the FCC in reality it would be hard

to discover

there's a Channel with a hacking done on

GPS using an inexpensive SDR unit you

can just plug into your USB

as that channel States doing this is

supposed to be done in a laboratory

environment and only by someone with a

ham license with no effect of blocking

the signal for other parties this

channel is called the Danish hacker and

I will link its video in the description

it's been around a while

I believe in this video the Danish

hacker actually made the GPS detect that

he was in a different location

this is easy to do and is done simply by

increasing the gain on the local source

of GPS signal so it is stronger than the

satellite some of you will see the

Privacy advantage of this if you

implement the solution done by the

Danish hacker in your home

but I don't want to suggest to you that

you do anything illegal I personally

have a ham license so I can do this

legally as long as I don't interfere

with the signal for others

this is interesting though because in

theory we get our locations tracked not

because we ourselves are Cavalier about

location settings but our guests use our

Wi-Fi network and then emit location

information

if our guest phones get an incorrect GPS

position then it will of course protect

the location associated with our IP

address

now there's more we get to the juicy

details about how our phone emits

location data using just the GPS

there are two parts to this so let me

start with the more basic part

supple

Supple or secure user plane location is

a feature on every phone that is tied

directly to GPS use I will tell you

ahead of time that this feature is now

owned by Google

Google bought this patent so Google is

the single entity on Earth that

coordinates the data from supple

the way Supple Works your phone will

attempt to get the location off the

nearest cell tower any cell tower I

don't think even the carrier is involved

with this meaning it is Carrier agnostic

there is a list of all cell towers in

the world and their locations are

published your phone detects the

strongest cell tower signal and then

identifies that Tower and sends it over

to supple.google.com

this part is not entirely clear though

this data is sent over the internet in

many cases I hear it is possible that

this data is also sent via the carrier

if you're connected to a sales service

I suppose this makes sense as flip

phones and non-smartphones need a way to

also send data to supple.google.com so

the cell tower is the input to

supple.google.com the output or the

return data from Google are the

satellites or satellite frequencies that

are nearby by doing this the connection

to GPS becomes almost instantaneous

instead of the phone trying out every

possible frequency and listening for

satellite signals that may be out of

range

this is why old handheld GPS devices

like the original ones I had from Garmin

took around two minutes to acquire

satellites

this of course would render a phone

unusable for critical GPS use like for

car navigation

so since the Advent of smartphones

Supple has been the order of the day all

phone devices today use Supple likely

GPS and cars do so as well

the problem here from a privacy point of

view is that Google then knows roughly

where each phone is in the world at

least connecting each one to a specific

Tower

yes it is not super precise but the

massive amount of available data here

can be used to track large movements of

people for example armies just to

theorize here it would have been

possible for intelligence agencies to

see mass movements of people from the

Warner group that were headed towards

Moscow all based on Supple found data

Wi-Fi scanning

now let's move on to the more precise

way that location is tracked and

recorded using a GPS and this is

something that once again cannot be

controlled by the user just like Supple

cannot be controlled

as I mentioned earlier computers do not

have a built-in GPS but yet computers

can accurately determine your locations

how does it do that it does it by a

process called Wi-Fi translation Wi-Fi

triangulation is used to find locations

indoors where there is no GPS signal

the way it works is like this the Wi-Fi

chip in your device can look for Wi-Fi

routers in the area this has been built

into every Wi-Fi chip since 2007. before

it was a specialty feature used by

hackers

Wi-Fi routers announced themselves with

a Mac address which uniquely identifies

the router

a computer will get a list of Wi-Fi

routers in the area and it will take the

two or three strongest signals and will

pass the MAC address of these routers

and the signal strength to a network

location provider or NLP then the NLP

will take that and put and output an

exact location to within six feet

just to simplify this further there are

only two nlps that normal phones use one

is Google and the other one is Apple

so to make it clear Google and apple

both have a database of every Wi-Fi

router in existence in the world and its

exact location

each Wi-Fi router is identified by the

MAC address by giving the Mac addresses

of at least two routers to Apple or

Google they can look up the device and

compute your exact location

well you might wonder what does this

have to do with the GPS can I just say

that GPS doesn't work indoors

guess what folks how did Apple and

Google build this database of Wi-Fi

routers with their predetermined GPS

positions

that is really the interesting part and

is really the Crux of the 24 7 location

tracking if you have a Norby phone or

Google Android then when you're walking

around in this world outside your GPS is

receiving data and your phone is

connected to the internet

your phone then performs the same Wi-Fi

router detection it can do indoors but

this time it does it in reverse your

phone sends the Wi-Fi router Mac address

signal strength and the GPS position to

Apple and Google

this is done continuously and it's

crowdsourced so on your street all your

neighbors walking by your house are all

reporting the locations of your routers

and your neighborhoods routers to Apple

and Google together with a GPS position

to populate the Wi-Fi triangulation

database

you cannot stop this as there is no

switch to turn this off

assuming that Apple and Google can

identify your device and it would be

irresponsible of me to suggest that they

cannot identify your device signal by

Apple ID or Google ID then it is of

course expected that both Apple and

Google know where you are at all times

and if this wi-fi scanning stops it must

indicate that you went indoors

as I said there is no way to stop this

transmission off location to Apple and

Google if you have a Normy phone however

if you have a d Google phone meaning a

phone running AOSP Android open source

project like the Brax 2 phones then this

signal isn't being sent

it breaks two font for example does not

have any communication with Google

so they cannot possibly receive location

information

this should also be true of Linux phones

if you happen to have those particular

devices but if you have a standard phone

then assume that your GPS data is

leaking constantly

the issue isn't really the GPS itself

but your internet connection you can

assume that if your phone has no

internet connection then Wi-Fi scanning

or the GPS data leak should disappear at

least for that moment whether it caches

it in the background is another issue

this has also gotten more complicated

with iPhone since iPhones can

communicate with other iPhones using the

Apple mesh Network which supports air

tag it is possible that iPhones can

still transmit location data even when

there is no internet connection as long

as you're not in the remote areas of

Greenland where there are no other

iPhones

anyway I hope this gives you a little

bit more understanding in summary all

standard phones emit your GPS location

constantly Google stores this data in

the Google sensor Vault and from this

data 940 plus people have been charged

in the January 6 Capital rights which

prove that your phones leak GPS data

folks my company creates products that

are intended to protect our privacy we

provide phones that have no centralized

control and are invisible to Big Tech

our most popular device is the Brax 2

phone running Brax OS we also have pixel

phones that have Google removed they are

called the Googled phones

we have a VPN service by its VPN which

is a stealth VPN in that it doesn't

scream that you're on a VPN we do not

put thousands of you on a single server

we have braxmill which gives you many

domains for privacy and eliminates the

metadata from your emails this means no

IP addresses and traces on your email

that show where it came from

all these products are on the store on

my app Brax me

come visit us there the link is in the

description

thanks for watching and see you next

time

foreign