Are gold tracking maps tracking us ?

[just starting]

All these phone apps for finding and mapping gold and mineral areas are great . You can locate and tag places you want to go to ,name them and leave a breadcrumb trail and do many other things with them with all the overlays. Not knowing the ins and outs of this industry and not trying to be offensive , does this data go live to a server and all data stored on their database ? Can this info be shared or viewed by the app`s developers or third parties ? What i am getting at is , say if i found a 5kg nugget at Dunolly and marked the location as bush track number 3 with the co-ordinates and tagged it as " 5 kg nugget , more in the hole to come out " 10th august 2020 , can anyone who runs that app have access to it and use it to their advantage ? Can they see where i have been and what other places i have marked and tagged ? I have not read the fine print in my apps. This comes about after a conversation i had with someone.

 

[BrokeInBendigo]

They potentially can - it is technically possible for any app to access the Internet and send data anywhere. You need to read the fine print and decide if you trust the app developers. Even if you do, there are many examples recently of companies tracking users even when they say they wont.

How can you *know* if your data is being exfoliated? Youll need to monitor the apps traffic. Even then, if they encrypt your data before sending it home, you wont be able to tell what info they are ganking.

Basically, trust no one if you are worried. Or fill your app with false data points use a code system to indicate which funds are real - something like that.

Or use an app that is not intended for prospecting - then it is far less likely that the devs will care what you write in it.

Also, a paid service is better than a free one. Google and Facebook track the f$&@ outta ya - the service is free, the money comes from your personal data. Paid services have less incentive to track you.

 

[just starting]

My apps are paid gold apps by Aussie companies .

 

[user 4386]

Hmmm- there are a lot of people prospecting and a lot unsuccessful. I doubt a lot are writing about 5 kg nuggets that they found. So it seems a lot of evidence to sift through and follow up immediately to find the 5 kg site that for some reason the discoverer had not finished doing over (5 kg! I'd pitch my tent over the hole and sleep on it until I had done it over completely).

But if you are worried, why don't you all post into your apps that you have found large nuggets of varying sizes spread over Australia - I doubt if they would keep following up for long. ]

 

[user 12139]

ok I will give you "some" examples of how your data can be HACKED into..

GPS: (no internet or data ability).. you mark waypoint's while out in the field and go home then connect the GPS to a computer to backup your waypoints using the GPS provided software.. your now exposed as the software can easily relay the data back to the developers server when your next online - even if you tell the software not to!

Phone: phone apps can track your movements, even if you tell the app not too! The data can either live feed back to the developer's server or relay it back at a later date.... all without you knowing!!

Recently on this forum I came across a company who provides live mapping services for prospectors. They swore black and blue they dont infringe on your data or movements. So out of curiosity I read their software privacy and end user statement when I was blown away with how many loopholes the statement had which would easily legally allow the developer to spy on your data. I'm no legal professional but I'm also no fool. Just for the record, I recently held a senior management role with a FTSE top 100 company where I was often asked to review draft contract legalities for their Asia Pacific operations prior to submitting to their legal department for final approval. I enjoyed that role.

You can scan and create custom gold maps yourself, just get hold of a GPS that has custom mapping abilities, most good Garmin units have this. Save all your tracks, waypoints ect on a SD card using your GPS, then backup the card on your computer. Delete all waypoints ect on the GPS before connecting it to any computer. When you want the waypoints on the GPS again, just install the SD card with them back into the GPS and your good to go.

Yes there is a lot of data they would have to sift through, but remember the developers are smart, they would simply develop an app and have it do all the sifting for them using algorithms!

You got to remember, what all these developers are doing is nothing more than what "you" can do right now for free!!! The maps are out there, just scan them and create custom maps for use on your GPS and off ya go.

Good luck!

 

[just starting]

Hmmm- there are a lot of people prospecting and a lot unsuccessful. I doubt a lot are writing about 5 kg nuggets that they found. So it seems a lot of evidence to sift through and follow up immediately to find the 5 kg site that for some reason the discoverer had not finished doing over (5 kg! I'd pitch my tent over the hole and sleep on it until I had done it over completely).

But if you are worried, why don't you all post into your apps that you have found large nuggets of varying sizes spread over Australia - I doubt if they would keep following up for long. ]

I had that thought , Goldierocks. I doubt these developers made the apps for snooping .

 

[just starting]

ok I will give you "some" examples of how your data can be HACKED into..

GPS: (no internet or data ability).. you mark waypoint's while out in the field and go home then connect the GPS to a computer to backup your waypoints using the GPS provided software.. your now exposed as the software can easily relay the data back to the developers server when your next online - even if you tell the software not to!

Phone: phone apps can track your movements, even if you tell the app not too! The data can either live feed back to the developer's server or relay it back at a later date.... all without you knowing!!

Recently on this forum I came across a company who provides live mapping services for prospectors. They swore black and blue they dont infringe on your data or movements. So out of curiosity I read their software privacy and end user statement when I was blown away with how many loopholes the statement had which would easily legally allow the developer to spy on your data. I'm no legal professional but I'm also no fool. Just for the record, I recently held a senior management role with a FTSE top 100 company where I was often asked to review draft contract legalities for their Asia Pacific operations prior to submitting to their legal department for final approval. I enjoyed that role.

You can scan and create custom gold maps yourself, just get hold of a GPS that has custom mapping abilities, most good Garmin units have this. Save all your tracks, waypoints ect on a SD card using your GPS, then backup the card on your computer. Delete all waypoints ect on the GPS before connecting it to any computer. When you want the waypoints on the GPS again, just install the SD card with them back into the GPS and your good to go.

Yes there is a lot of data they would have to sift through, but remember the developers are smart, they would simply develop an app and have it do all the sifting for them using algorithms!

You got to remember, what all these developers are doing is nothing more than what "you" can do right now for free!!! The maps are out there, just scan them and create custom maps for use on your GPS and off ya go.

Good luck!

The apps i use have pre - loaded info on mines and geology and is used as just one tool in the toolbox . This info gets cross referenced and sites marked on the app`s maps as well as hard copies printed with extra info not available on the app itself. I mark the hard copies in texta and take pictures of it so i don`t have to use the app all the time. I`m not too worried about any info i put into it being hacked because the shorthand i use will make no sense to anyone else. I have got a GPS with mapping capabilities and am able to lay breadcrumbs ,mark waypoints etc etc, but it is just one extra thing i don`t really need to carry into the scrub.Using the phone app when needed is convenient. But i hear what you are saying and it makes sense. Thanks for all the insight.I was just interested to know what happens to the data and how third parties can access or use it. Thanks, Big L

 

[rotor]

I know this is a little late but the app in your first post is on your mobile phone - you dont have to download your info to your computer to have your waypoints stolen because if they want your data the gold app on your phone will send it next time its in range.

 

[user 4386]

I know this is a little late but the app in your first post is on your mobile phone - you dont have to download your info to your computer to have your waypoints stolen because if they want your data the gold app on your phone will send it next time its in range.

I just can't imagine why people with a really good patch would not have worked it out before data was processed, decisions which to follow-up were made, and then they got into the field to pinch your gold. Seems cheaper to make popular software....or go detecting yourself.

 

[TC1973]

All these phone apps for finding and mapping gold and mineral areas are great . You can locate and tag places you want to go to ,name them and leave a breadcrumb trail and do many other things with them with all the overlays. Not knowing the ins and outs of this industry and not trying to be offensive , does this data go live to a server and all data stored on their database ? Can this info be shared or viewed by the app`s developers or third parties ? What i am getting at is , say if i found a 5kg nugget at Dunolly and marked the location as bush track number 3 with the co-ordinates and tagged it as " 5 kg nugget , more in the hole to come out " 10th august 2020 , can anyone who runs that app have access to it and use it to their advantage ? Can they see where i have been and what other places i have marked and tagged ? I have not read the fine print in my apps. This comes about after a conversation i had with someone.

Absolutely they can. Hence your best to develop a language of your own to mark spots such as coordinates and perhaps 1A for example then ad in your notes app or similar type of app the actual information about that location. Recording in the app is unwise while you’re still exploring the location.