GPS and similar systems are just big atomic clocks flying around the earth, shouting their time down to earth. A GPS (or other) device just needs to know the current time and the position of the satellites to calculate its own position.
The most control the US ever exercised over GPS was to encrypt the more precise parts of the satellite’s timestamps so that only military devices could get really precise positions. They stopped doing that when other systems went online. That was for the whole world, including its own citizens.
Cool, I looked into it and yeah, it seems like Beidou is incredibly similar to GPS, so it really shouldn’t matter. GPS seems to be a little more accurate for the average person, but otherwise they’re largely the same.
bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 3 weeks ago
China’s system can’t be used for spying. It’s as passive as GPS. These things are harmless. No amount of control can be enacted through them.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Is it? I haven’t looked too much into it, I just assumed a newer system would have tracking built-in.
So now I’m even more confused about why Iran would care which system it uses, if both truly are passive.
bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 3 weeks ago
GPS and similar systems are just big atomic clocks flying around the earth, shouting their time down to earth. A GPS (or other) device just needs to know the current time and the position of the satellites to calculate its own position.
The most control the US ever exercised over GPS was to encrypt the more precise parts of the satellite’s timestamps so that only military devices could get really precise positions. They stopped doing that when other systems went online. That was for the whole world, including its own citizens.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Cool, I looked into it and yeah, it seems like Beidou is incredibly similar to GPS, so it really shouldn’t matter. GPS seems to be a little more accurate for the average person, but otherwise they’re largely the same.