flowerwolf

Made the account an hour ago, maybe that's why. Thanks for the heads up

Yeah, by "basic GSM" I mean a common subset that is available regardless of 2G/3G/4G/5G, as in, you can still ping the mobile equipment to see which BTS it's connecting to. (And even if you don't get the TA with CDMA/OFDMA you still get signal strength and/or can force a downgrade if necessary, to get a rough location.)

The network you're on has theoretical full access to everything. If the network is hostile you're screwed, because even with the improved protection in 4G/5G they can still easily force a downgrade attack.

The "force a call without a ring" is just basic GSM. I don't know, but I'm guessing 3G, 4G or 5G support requesting the GPS position from the ME/handset.

The big providers are definitely monitoring, and are probably working with NSA/FBI, if nothing else then at least to look for APT CNE/org.crime.

Also, don't use a VPN provider that knows who you are and don't use one in your own jurisdiction.