The demonstrations in Spain against the amnesty of Catalonia have given rise to a new conspiracy theory: They can intercept your cell phone if you have WiFi or Bluetooth active. In Telegram groups, for example, messages have gone viral urging people to deactivate both connectivity options on their smartphones before attending marches, as a method of evading possible espionage.
“Go with your mobile’s WiFi and Bluetooth deactivated, this way you avoid much of the interception software,” can be read in a screenshot. The reality, however, is that It takes a lot more than that to intercept a cell phone.
This does not mean that there is no spyware capable of infiltrating your mobile in the least expected way. The Pegasus scandal has been complete proof of this. However, believing that someone will be able to access your mobile phone simply by going to a demonstration with WiFi or Bluetooth makes no sense.
The case is different if we talk about methods to know where a person is (or was). There, Bluetooth signals, for example, can play a crucial role. However, chances are that if any authority tries to track your location, do it by triangulating the signal from the telephone antennas, a much more effective method. For this, yes, a court order is necessary. Otherwise, the operators – who have control of the antennas – will oppose providing such information.
Why leaving WiFi and Bluetooth active are not enough to intercept your mobile
It is okay to be cautious and look for the best way to protect the privacy of yourself and your family or loved ones. The problem is that, in this case, they mix myths with realities.
If someone wanted to get into a mobile device, they would have at their disposal much more effective and comfortable methods and times to do it than. For example, you could wait for the target of the hacking connect to public or shared networks, such as those found in a park, an airport or a cafe.
Nowadays there are applications to scan networks and see what devices are connected to them. This allows you to know their brand and model, as well as their operating system version. And in some cases even the MAC address of the device or the name of its owner. A malicious actor, with this information, could search for open ports and, from there, try to gain access.
But, as you see, we are talking about a completely different issue here. There is talk of simply having Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on. Do not access public Wi-Fi or connect to an unknown Bluetooth device. Therefore, if you are afraid that someone may intercept your cell phone when you go to the demonstration, remain calm. It is not possible to do it just by leaving it with WiFi or Bluetooth on.
The dangers of espionage are real, but we should not get carried away by any half-baked conspiracy theory. You run more risk by using a public charger than by not deactivating the wireless connectivity options on your cell phone.