https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/7710-changing-imei/8

A phone doesnt need a sim to connect to the network towers. Sim is only for billing. The network can see your imei and triangulate your location as long as your radio is on.

I have read this on https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/7710-changing-imei/8, but I’m bit confused. Does this mean our IMEI is identified by cell tower as long as the airplane mode is off? What exact setting is “Radio” referring to?

thanks a lot

thanks @rowinxavier@lemmy.world and @9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world

Short answer: Yes The network can see your IMEI and triangulate your location even though no SIM is installed. and theoretically with airplane mode off no radio is on

  • Laser@feddit.orgEnglish
    10·
    2 days ago

    Radio here refers to your mobile (non-wifi) wireless connection, though technically, Wi-Fi is also radio and can be used for triangulation purposes by access points. Technically speaking, any communications method that uses electromagnetic waves is radio, regardless of modulation and data encoding.

    Does this mean our IMEI is identified by cell tower as long as the airplane mode is off?

    The IMEI is how the cell tower differentiates the individual network participants. It can be compared to a MAC address.

    • happeningtofry99158@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      23·
      2 days ago

      Radio here refers to your mobile (non-wifi) wireless connection, though technically, Wi-Fi is also radio and can be used for triangulation purposes by access points. Technically speaking, any communications method that uses electromagnetic waves is radio, regardless of modulation and data encoding.

      I can use WIFI with Airplane mode, is my IMEI being transferred to any place in this situation?

      The IMEI is how the cell tower differentiates the individual network participants. It can be compared to a MAC address.

      Can you elaborate how it is compared with MAC? What might happen to how cell tower compares IMEI and MAC when I spoof MAC?

      • Laser@feddit.orgEnglish
        4·
        2 days ago

        I can use WIFI with Airplane mode, is my IMEI being transferred to any place in this situation?

        No

        Can you elaborate how it is compared with MAC? What might happen to how cell tower compares IMEI and MAC when I spoof MAC?

        A cell tower doesn’t care about your MAC. In fact you can have devices without a MAC in a mobile network (like dumbphones). However, a malicious entity might be able to correlate these two with a setup where he controls both cellular and Wi-Fi equipment.