Everywhere we go, our footprints are left. You need to have a lot luck in order to carry out the perfect crime. There will always be something lacking, or a slip in Machiavellian plans, or technological witnesses that will reveal information to help solve the case. 60 Spanians were killed in Spain during the first quarter 2021. Although many of these cases are not solved and investigations are not made public, sometimes tragedies like this one become part of our collective memory. The investigation into criminal acts committed by their executioners via mobile phones has been made possible by the recent cases of Samuel Luiz and Anna Luiz. Smartphones aren’t lying and geolocation or triangulation via antennas enabled Patrick Nogueira to stay behind bars.
“Crimes that are not solved today may be solved tomorrow.” Aitor M.Curiel, a renowned forensic doctor, explained that there is an investigation that is incomplete or pending completion in a university lecture. If they had known about these 21st-century allies, the Judicial Police would have been able to investigate other cases that help keep the Spanish security forces under control, like the Eva Blanco and Cristina Bergua Alcasser girls.
The key is communication between the antenna and mobile. To establish any type communication, all phones must be connected to a receiver. Although the airplane mode claims to disconnect all mobile connections and completely shut down the phone, it is actually impossible. Communication with antennas can still be established even when the mobile is turned off. If it is within reach of an antenna, it will be able to locate itself. The phone sends signals to indicate where it is. Basic geometric methods and triangulations can be used to determine the exact location. It is usually seen by multiple antennas at once and the signal strength is an indicator of distance”. Xavier Villajosana, professor in the UOC’s Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunications Studies, says.
Spain has 147,600 mobile phone antennas which serve over 50 million people. This figure has more than doubled over the past few years, mainly because of the growth in mobile broadband (3G/4G) services. A user can walk from one place to the next, and if he uses some form of transport, his phone will do the same thing, riding on the antennas of his mobile phone. This leaves a trail. It is much easier to locate a mobile in a city than it is in the country because of the terrain and number of antennas. According to the expert, there is a margin of error of meters in urban environments.
A single antenna can only tell how far a mobile is from it. This allows the user to draw a circle around possible locations. The accuracy of the location of the mobile is increased if we add another antenna. It can only be located at the intersection of two radii. However, we already have the precise point if we add another antenna. This will be the intersection of the three radii.
Smartphones contain valuable information. It is extremely valuable information that is stored in smartphones. Carlos Aldama, a computer expert, says that they can be encrypted, protected with a password, or any other security system. However, WhatsApp locations and conversations are what professionals most need. The mobile operators provide the records of calls to authorities.
Data is the goose that lays golden eggs in the 21st century. Data is a treasure that can be used later to sell anything. This information is a valuable asset that large companies use to tailor their products to customers’ needs and habits. This is evident in the operations of giants like Facebook, which bought WhatsApp six years ago for more than 21800 million dollars (18,000,000,000 euros) or the one Google closed a few year ago when it purchased YouTube for 1,650 millions dollars. .
No matter what mobile device you use, you already give a lot of information about you and your activities by simply using it. They can track our habits, whereabouts, speed, internet usage, and even the websites we visit. No one knows anything about us, except for our fingerprints and the pattern of the iris. Smartphones offer us a window into the world. However, third-party apps have the ability to peek inside if they are granted the permission.
This is despite the fact this information may seem to make life easier, but it is still disturbing that any social network or website you visit invites you to purchase the sofa you want or to go on the next trip. Google Maps allows you to request nearby services from other applications by using GPS. Bluetooth allows data to be exchanged over short distances. The connections that it makes allow information to be moved between the terminals and the wearable devices. When the phone is used, it leaves behind its call logs, message logs and contact lists. It also stores any stored content (photos or documents) that are not required for the purpose of calling. It is important to be careful when granting access permissions in these areas to applications that don’t need them. We also have to pay attention to the privacy policies for any downloaded application.
