This is what I gathered on the subject, feel free to correct if anything is wrong:
The WiFi tracking works by scanning for nearby WiFi networks, identifying which routers are nearby and their signal strengths, matching those against their database of known WiFi access points, and using that data to estimate your location.
For now the feature will be off by default, first has to be enabled by your company, and then the user has to opt in for it to be used.
For those who are required to use Microsoft products, it can by bypassed by using a wired Ethernet connection and not using Teams on any devices using a wireless connection.
Edit: As @lividweasel@lemmy.world pointed out, Microsoft is not using WiFi positioning systems to determine location, but rather updating your location to “in the office” or not depending on whether your device is connected to one of the organization’s WiFi SSIDs.
Please add _nomap to the end of your SSID (the name of your wifi network) if you don’t want Google to use it in their tracking mechanisms.
Please add _optout anywhere in your SSID if you don’t want Microsoft to use it in their tracking mechanisms.
If your SSID is Network change it to Network_optout_nomap
Ridiculous as fuck, but that’s what they came up with. I have no idea what other services use to block their Wifi collectors, but these 2 are very prominent anyway.
The organization will configure a list of Wi-Fi SSIDs. When your device connects to one of those, the Teams location would be updated to “in the office”.
That’s it. No complex triangulation, no pinpoint locating. Just “are you connected to the office network or not”.
Also, if you don’t want to be tracked in this way, just don’t participate. If your organization sets a policy to opt you in automatically, click the option to opt out. If they give the offer to opt in, just don’t.
I know it’s hip to hate on Microsoft, but we should at least discuss things based on the truth, not wild assumptions and misinformation.
Thanks for the clarification. I wrongly assumed Microsoft was using Wi-Fi positioning systems (which is used for geolocation, just not in this particular case) instead of reading their documentation.
I’ll update the comment.
I also don’t think most workplaces are going to punish you for opting out of this feature even if organizational policy requires it to be enabled.
Lots of people will skim or hear about the feature and think something is broken when it works as poorly as intended. Hospitals have lots of people, lots of APs(some move), weird layouts and signal propogation. Great place to confuse. Colleges have the potential to be funnier.
This is what I gathered on the subject, feel free to correct if anything is wrong:
The WiFi tracking works by scanning for nearby WiFi networks, identifying which routers are nearby and their signal strengths, matching those against their database of known WiFi access points, and using that data to estimate your location.
For now the feature will be off by default, first has to be enabled by your company, and then the user has to opt in for it to be used.
For those who are required to use Microsoft products, it can by bypassed by using a wired Ethernet connection and not using Teams on any devices using a wireless connection.
Edit: As @lividweasel@lemmy.world pointed out, Microsoft is not using WiFi positioning systems to determine location, but rather updating your location to “in the office” or not depending on whether your device is connected to one of the organization’s WiFi SSIDs.
Please add _nomap to the end of your SSID (the name of your wifi network) if you don’t want Google to use it in their tracking mechanisms.
Please add _optout anywhere in your SSID if you don’t want Microsoft to use it in their tracking mechanisms.
If your SSID is Network change it to Network_optout_nomap
Ridiculous as fuck, but that’s what they came up with. I have no idea what other services use to block their Wifi collectors, but these 2 are very prominent anyway.
That doesn’t at all match the documentation.
The organization will configure a list of Wi-Fi SSIDs. When your device connects to one of those, the Teams location would be updated to “in the office”.
That’s it. No complex triangulation, no pinpoint locating. Just “are you connected to the office network or not”.
Also, if you don’t want to be tracked in this way, just don’t participate. If your organization sets a policy to opt you in automatically, click the option to opt out. If they give the offer to opt in, just don’t.
I know it’s hip to hate on Microsoft, but we should at least discuss things based on the truth, not wild assumptions and misinformation.
Thanks for the clarification. I wrongly assumed Microsoft was using Wi-Fi positioning systems (which is used for geolocation, just not in this particular case) instead of reading their documentation.
I’ll update the comment.
I also don’t think most workplaces are going to punish you for opting out of this feature even if organizational policy requires it to be enabled.
same go for the web browser based teams, or is this just the “app”?
The browser version shouldn’t be able to access this info.
Until Edge updates and silently turns it on
Unlikely, browser vendors are very careful adding such APIs, and MS doesn’t have the pull Google does.
A simple fix is, of course, not to use Edge.
I look forward to this feature being deployed in hospitals. It’s going to fail so hard and generate so many tickets.
Why?
Is it important that their team’s location be up to date?
Surely a hospital has better methods for tracking independently of teams
Lots of people will skim or hear about the feature and think something is broken when it works as poorly as intended. Hospitals have lots of people, lots of APs(some move), weird layouts and signal propogation. Great place to confuse. Colleges have the potential to be funnier.
So basically the same every Android phone does. Google has done this kind of tracking since 2007
Yes but now it reports to your employer.
I don’t quite get the uproar for this.
The issue is your employees trying to force RTO. Whether this goes through or is cancelled - your employer will still want to track your RTO.
The only solution, if you are privileged enough, is to work somewhere else.
I did. I make less but I have more free time, and less stress. My employer doesn’t give a fuck where I am so long as the work gets done.
Windows itself already does this type of tracking to determine your time zone.