Police tracking mobile phones - ie the people who are carrying them

MoneySeeker1

With the latest "bright idea" (hmmm...) that the Government has of tracking peoples mobile phones (albeit they say it will be "after the event") in order that they can see where large groups of phones (ie people) are congregating (stated to be because of Covid) can anyone technically-minded tell me if I'm correct in thinking that it is only modern style Iphones that track their owners as they carry them around.

Years back I deliberately stuck to a basic old-style mobile phone mainly for precisely that reason - ie because I don't think phones like that can be tracked.

For further security - I never switch that phone on unless I actually want to make a phonecall from it. So I just carry it around with me (switched-off) for emergency purposes. As a woman I need a phone on me in case. As someone living in a rural area I need a phone on me in case (those infrequent buses!).

Can I safely continue to carry around my old style mobile phone as usual/switched off unless I do actually make a call from it as usual when I'm out (for prescribed purpose - ie food-shopping or my once a day walk we are allowed)? Or is it the case that my phone would be "spying on me" - despite being old-style and off?

Right now - I've just taken my phone out of my handbag and don't know whether it would be a good idea to literally throw it away and never have a mobile again.

EDIT; Hastens to add that I have no intention of being with anyone else whilst out and about for the duration - but I just don't want to be spied on. Particularly as I suspect once that genie is out of the bottle it will never be put back in it Afterwards.

Hasbeen

Do you mean this from a private individual suggestion in an Australian article 

http://theconversation.com/privacy-vs-pandemic-government-tracking-of-mobile-phones-could-be-a-potent-weapon-against-covid-19-134895

Or could you post link that the UK government is doing this.

sdduk

I don't understand why you are so scared is it because you are doing things you shouldn't be?
If you are not doing anything wrong then you have nothing to fear thats what i think.
Has for going out you can go out to get food if needed and work if you have to or you can't work from home.
you can't go on 5 mile runs or walk about for miles afaik.
I would love to go out but i cannot take that chance because my wife's had the NHS/Doctors emails telling her to stay in for her own protection because she as lots of illnesses 12 weeks she cannot go out for.

MoneySeeker1

I've always been wary of my phone (therefore me) being able to be tracked - LONG LONG before this came up.

I'm a believer in personal privacy and always have been.

I'm certainly a law-abiding person - but I'm also a private person and will be remaining so.

MoneySeeker1

Hasbeen said:

Do you mean this from a private individual suggestion in an Australian article 

http://theconversation.com/privacy-vs-pandemic-government-tracking-of-mobile-phones-could-be-a-potent-weapon-against-covid-19-134895

Or could you post link that the UK government is doing this.

"Uk government gets green light.....etc etc" article in today's online Daily Mail.

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8160067             etc etc

Expect there'll be an article in The Guardian tomorrow explaining about the civil liberties angle on this.

prowla

sdduk said:

I don't understand why you are so scared is it because you are doing things you shouldn't be?
If you are not doing anything wrong then you have nothing to fear thats what i think.
Has for going out you can go out to get food if needed and work if you have to or you can't work from home.
you can't go on 5 mile runs or walk about for miles afaik.
I would love to go out but i cannot take that chance because my wife's had the NHS/Doctors emails telling her to stay in for her own protection because she as lots of illnesses 12 weeks she cannot go out for.

The old "if you've done nothing wrong you've got nothing to be afraid of" justification...

Hasbeen

MoneySeeker1 said:

Hasbeen said:

Do you mean this from a private individual suggestion in an Australian article 

http://theconversation.com/privacy-vs-pandemic-government-tracking-of-mobile-phones-could-be-a-potent-weapon-against-covid-19-134895

Or could you post link that the UK government is doing this.

"Uk government gets green light.....etc etc" article in today's online Daily Mail.

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8160067             etc etc

Expect there'll be an article in The Guardian tomorrow explaining about the civil liberties angle on this.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8160067/UK-government-gets-permission-use-personal-data-mobile-phones-help-fight-coronavirus.html

JGB1955

My phone (and, let's be clear...not everyone has one... shock horror) is often left at home and would definitely be left there if I thought anyone, however well meaning, was tracked me. My husband had learned that I will go off on an overseas adventure (well...until recently) and expect to be told where to pick me up from a station whenever I let him know!

wongataa

This sort of tracking works with any phone.  The mobile providers know roughly where any phone that is turned on and connected to the mobile networks is because they know which masts the phone is connected to.  If the phone is switched off then the location is unknown.

Socajam

I always turn off location on my phone. 
Yes, they can still find me from the cell towers but it becomes harder to pin point my exact location.

MoneySeeker1

wongataa said:

This sort of tracking works with any phone.  The mobile providers know roughly where any phone that is turned on and connected to the mobile networks is because they know which masts the phone is connected to.  If the phone is switched off then the location is unknown.

That makes logical sense.

So it sounds as if I can continue to carry round my phone - as long as it's switched off (being a basic one).

I had rather thought that, unbeknownst to their owners, that Iphones could be switched on enough that they'd "tell" on the owner as to their location and the owner be in blissful unawareness of this fact (ie because they thought their phone was turned off - because it was as far as they were concerned).

I foresee a business opportunity for someone - ie making some sort of metal "privacy cases" it would be possible to put your phone in whilst out and about that would "shield" it from this (akin to those wallet things that contactless bank cards can be put in to stop interference).