If you feed Skylock a phone number, it will tell anyone what tower you're connected to

If you read the original paper, it isn't clear this works on all systems. And apparently it is an issue with SMS. You can and I have requested that SMS be blocked with my carrier.

SMS is a terrible security issue from many aspects. The "silent ping" RDF being the worst of the security issues. Just block it at the carrier.

Even the iphone now has push capability these days, so there is no need for SMS.

How do you get texts on iOS/Android without SMS?

On Thu, 20 Nov 2014 02:49:14 +0000 (UTC), David Howard asked:

Same way you get them anywhere: ASCII email :-) . Cheers, -- tlvp

Right, but with push email and especially IMAP, it is pretty quick.

But you can use a number of cross platform message systems. BBM, ChatSecure, etc. for instance if you need real time.

Those other solutions are all non-starters if they need the other party to be using the same system. Then again, if they go through an SMS gateway and provide universal text reachability, what's the point of not just using SMS in the first place? Sounds like a lose/lose.

They don't use SMS. Only imessage uses SMS. (It is quite the fiasco when you go from iphone to anything else since apple leaches onto your SMS.)

BBM, Chatsecure, Whatapps, Beem, Ansa, etc are all just a download away.

OK, so non-starters then. Thanks.

What does Apple do to SMS?

A non-starter I suppose if you don't know how to download an app. That is beyond the capability of my grandmother. Then again, she is dead.

Whatsapp just added encryption. It is now the favorite of the Mexican drug cartels. But hey, you just keep on SMSing. The NSA needs something to read.

I own nothing from Apple, so all I know is what I read in the press.

Since imessage is not cross platform, it is pretty useless to me.

I think you missed my point, or maybe I misunderstood earlier. *I* have no problem downloading an app, but the non-starter aspect comes in when there's a requirement for the people on the other end to also download that app.

You would be amazed at how little is just handed to me on a silver platter.

I haven't graduated to tin foil just yet.