RE: https://mementomori.social/@levi/115334697961474628

2. Streetcomplete and #Openstreetmaps

On the topic of #geolocation , there's another FOSS project that relies on community submissions to build a privacy preserving map

let's face it, Google Maps is the most solid, polished and convenient maps app out there, it offers detailed business listings, phone numbers, open hours, photos and reviews, Streetview (which OSM lacks), live traffic, routing algorithms with turn by turn navigation.. Etc.

But as it's the case with proprietary software, convenience comes at a cost, a cost that no one can afford, loss of privacy.

Most people fail to recognize how sensitive location data is, how it's used against them and how it can be abused in the future.

if I ask.. where were you on February 9, 2012, at 3 o'clock? you have no clue, you can't even remember what you had for dinner last night! me too :-) our brains can't recall events with time and location with such great precision, if you can.. you must be Charles Xavier from X-Men :-P

But you know who can remember? Google. the Ad company profiles individuals by tracking queries, routes, and interactions, it records your movements by a feature called location history which is turned on by default, even when you don't use the app, your movements are still logged, heck.. even if you turn off location history altogether, Google keeps on tracking you.. this should tell you how much valuable location data is for E-Corp, where you work or study, what you're planning to buy, where you go for entrainment.. etc. all used to create a profile so that the surveillance machine can target you with ads..

The brightside is that we don't have to use a surveillance tool like Google Maps, OrganicMaps is a free and open source software that respects your privacy, does not collect or transmit your location, search history, or usage data and it encourages you to use it offline by letting you know that you have to download maps for your area.

Organic Maps uses OpenStreeMaps which is also free software, but as I mentioned it's not as rich as Google Maps in terms of data. :-(

Which brings us to Streetcomplete, a FOSS android app designed to make contributing to OpenStreetMap easy. It's really like a real life game and I find it fun, It uses a simple question and answer interface to gather missing OpenStreeMaps details like: surface types of paths, opening hours of shops, speed limits.. etc

Submitted data will appear on OpenStreeMaps, so all users of apps like @organicmaps and @CoMaps can benefit from :-)

If you're interested in volunteering to help us make a #freedom map so we don't live our lives under the constant surveillance of #bigbrother Google, check out the following links:

- https://streetcomplete.app/
- https://www.openstreetmap.org
- https://organicmaps.app
- https://www.comaps.app/

#opensource #geolocation #linux #programming #coding #technology #geoip #software #gis #openstreetmap #tech #github #iot #data #security #opensourceprojects #geotagging #locationdata #mapdata #opendata #fdroid #neostumbler #location #surveillance #privacy #street #streetcomplete #google

You can contribute to the #freesoftware movement even if you don't know how to write #code here's some practical examples:

1. @beacondb & #Neostumbler

BeaconDB is community-driven wireless geolocation database that serves as a replacement for Mozilla Location Services (MLS), which was discontinued in March 2024.

why is this project important?

because #Google collects extensive location data tied to user accounts for advertising and profiling (even if you turn off location history) Google doesn't understand consent, what a surprise! :blob_rollingeyes:

BeaconDB will provide privacy friendly geolocation, allowing #degoogled #android ROMs like #CalyxOS and #GrapheneOS to be used without relying on Google (Google's location services)

Neostumbler is an #opensource android app, that collects geolocation data from wireless signals such as Wi-Fi access points, cell towers, and Bluetooth beacons, NS does not collect personal identifying information, only anonymized wireless signal data and it can be turned off at any time. (can't say the same for Google)

you can start contributing to BeaconDB simply by downloading and installing NeoStumbler, enabling GPS, open NS and start a scan, start walking or driving, and after you cross a certain distance, you'll see some generated reports, press upload to upload them all (you can also go to settings and enable automatic uploading in the background)

If you want to volunteer and help us free our phones, laptops and smart watches from corporate ecosystems (like Google's location services) and achieve digital sovereignty in the aspect of geolocation, take a look at these links

- BeaconDB: https://beacondb.net/
- NeoStumbler: https://github.com/mjaakko/NeoStumbler

#opensource #geolocation #linux #programming #coding #technology #geoip #software #gis #openstreetmap #tech #github #iot #data #security #opensourceprojects #geotagging #locationdata #mapdata #opendata #fdroid #beaconDB #neostumbler #location #surveillance #privacy #mozilla #firefox

Help create a degoogled positioning service - no skills needed!

Long story short: Everyone should consider downloading NeoStumbler on their phones and help collect degoogled geolocation data from the places they travel to.

Degoogled geolocation data?!

A big problem with degoogling is positioning services. Whenever your device doesn't have a GPS signal but wants to know your position, it collects information about the wifi, cellular, and bluetooth networks around you. It then looks this up against a database of networks and their location, and returns to you your approximate position.

This has traditionally been crowd-sourced by Google for a closed database for them to use and abuse. Mozilla created and abandoned their own service a while back, as they tend to do. Their data was not anonymous enough for it to live on in open source, and for a while there was no real open source option out there. All location services would pretty much depend on Google. Thankfully, this is not the case any more.

Enter beaconDB!

A proper open source alternative has finally emerged in the form of beacondb (@beacondb@mapstodon.space), which currently contains location data for more than 75 million wifi networks and almost 4 million cellular towers, most of which in Europe and the US. This database allows degoogled devices to find their location in the world without relying on a Google service. It is still in its early days, but some open systems already use it by default.

How can you help?

Contributing to beaconDB is incredibly easy. The tl;dr on top of this post summarizes it, but here's a more detailed overview:

1. Install the open source app NeoStumbler
2. Open the app and set it up. It's a good idea to take a look at the settings. I have enabled movement detection (helps save battery on most devices) and passive data collection. I also enabled an option to send reports with less metadata, further increasing privacy.
3. Press "play" in the app. You can also add a "wireless scanning" button to the sliding drawer menu in Android to make this option more accessible. I generally keep scanning on at all times as I don't find it to drain the battery much, but of course it's mostly useful when moving around in new areas.
4. Walk around, live your life.

And, of course: Let people know about it! Contributions from people outside of Europe and the US would be particularly welcome, but it's the early stages of the project and contributions are needed everywhere. Also feel free to cross-post (or boost!) this to anywhere you'd see fit.

Since the end of June I have collected information about more than 150 000 wifi networks and more than 10 000 cellular networks. It's fun to keep track of how many new networks I've passed by at the end of the day.

Please join in! :)

@gmilio @beacondb
#neostumbler #beacondb
Это, возможно, подмена GPS. В этом городе есть военные объекты?

this your irregular reminder that contributing to @beacondb can cost you literally nothing

1. Install NeoStumbler
2. Enable passive data collection
3. Enable automatic report sending over unmetered connections
3.1. (optional) Enable metadata stripping for more privacy
4. Forget about it

No battery drain, no manual action required
Just use your phone, NeoStumbler will care about contributing

#beaconDB #NeoStumbler

بیشتر از یک ماه است حتی با #VPN هم نمیتوانم گزارش‌ها را برای #beacondb ارسال کنم. بیشتر از ۶۰۰۰ گزارش ارسال‌نشده دارم. :blobcatfacepalm:

#neostumbler

@JasnaPaka contributing to #BeaconDB nowadays feels like #OpenStreetMap in the early days, where one would fill the gaps bit by bit, trying to complete the bigger picture.

Would love to see a data collection service becoming a default option (opt-in) as a background service in one (or more) of the Android ROMs, @postmarketOS etc to increase the user-base far more, than just those that explicitly install and run #NeoStumbler etc

@beacondb

Any clue what is happening here? @beacondb
#neostumbler

Mittlerweile kann #NeoStumbler auch Daten passiv im Hintergrund sammeln.
Einfach aktivieren, GPS aktiv haben und z.B. #beaconDB mit Messwerten füttern 😀

J'ai envoyé 472 rapports avec #NeoStumbler, l'application #Android de collecte de données permettant d'utiliser les réseaux WiFi, bluetooth et antennes relais à proximité pour la #géolocalisation (plus rapide que #GPS / #Galileo) sans dépendre/alimenter #Google, disponible sur #Fdroid. #AltLocationServices, également sur F-droid, permet d'en profiter.

Seul au monde sur #neostumbler
Screenshot (17 mai 2025 19:34:41)

Instead of linkedin and fb, phones should be preinstalled with #Neostumbler and #StreetComplete

I'd gladly hear suggestions for similar apps to make the neighbourhood slightly more friendly each day

@overflorian je ne me rappelle plus mais il me semble que sur #ironfox est déjà configuré pour recevoir les données de #beacondb.
Mais pour avoir de nouvelle donnée il faut quand même passer par #neostumbler ou alternative

Je complète un petit peu tout les jours #neostumbler #Mozilla #Location #Services

@flan @beacondb I guess you could somehow convert it to the #Neostumbler Database format, import and upload.

A script to do that could then be made FOSS for everyone to use

Attention #BeaconDB contributors!

#Neostumbler 2.0.0 is out, bringing the option to exclude Wifis based on their name (SSID). This is important to exclude mobile hotspots and other moving wifis, that would mess up results.

Also it allows us to respect the "optout" and "nomap" SSIDs, used to prevent scanning.

BeaconDB has the "Common Network Index", copy the contents of these files into the field in NeoStumbler:

https://codeberg.org/beacondb/common-network-index/src/branch/main/data

@beacondb@lemmy.dbzer0.com @beacondb@mapstodon.space

126.800 uploads to #BeaconDB!

Just cracked 300.000 wifis, together with 5.100 cell towers (from end of october)

Now the small cities #Uelzen and #Wolfenbüttel are explored a bit! Help #DigitalSovereignty and #CyberResilience and contribute!

#NeoStumbler is on #Accrescent too, which is the most secure way to get the app.

Dont forget to donate, that stuff costs money!

https://liberapay.com/joelkoen/

Aujourd'hui j'ai cartographié avec #neostumbler un endroit inexploré de #Bruxelles qui est déjà bien couvert.

Any #DataScience people here?

I have a huge #BeaconDB dataset here, recorded with #NeoStumbler.

I would like to play around with it a bit, display densities of radio devices on a map.

I know #QGis, is it reasonably easy to import a CSV file there, assign the coordinates to some columns etc?

Alternatively I know a bit of #R, but #RStudio is #Electron now, so that could get a hassle XD

Btw, there is a #Fedora #COPR for R-Cran packages, how is the situation on #NixOS?