On 10.09.2013, at 03:46 , Gervase Markham <g...@mozilla.org> wrote: > On 10/09/13 10:48, ianG wrote: >> If that is the case, why not flip it around. Instead of trying to >> interpolate the existing data that is broadcast out there, why not write >> a protocol to broadcast the direct location from the wireless access point? > > Because only a tiny, tiny fraction of devices would run it, and for most > of those, the user wouldn't have correctly set the device's location > anyway, and for some of them, they'd have set it and then moved. > > This is a "boil the sea" approach to the problem.
In addition the CDMA cell networks actually have support for reporting the base stations lat/lon as part of the protocol. But in practice these are almost never set, as cell operators value ease of deployment and uniform configuration more than providing this extra service. In another anecdote, mobile operators cannot actually give you lists of all their cell towers and locations - we asked our partners. Thanks to a multitude of subsidiaries, subcontractors and partnerships, they often don't actually know how many cell towers they have and where they are. The same problem applies to the many wifi AP's officially being operated by some large telco. So even where this is possible, it's not actually a practically relevant approach. Hanno _______________________________________________ dev-security mailing list dev-security@lists.mozilla.org https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-security
