… which obviously has absolutely nothing to do with one’s security.
Sure, but AML is much less malicious, you should be outraged about the ID requirements for owning a SIM and that the 3 months of location histories get stored, not AML.
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Assuming that AML is, and will be, working as expected, i.e. send data only when an emergency call is made, and not in any other cicrumstances, especially externally triggered. But can anyone assure it?
I do agree.
But note the intent of my original question was about whether it’s transparent/auditable/reviewable as in source code review (and therefore reversible for very dedicated users).
All the rest of the let’s say speculation may be overboard, although I must say in a post-Snowden age, none of the more paranoid speculation that happens here is completely unfeasible.
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You can read the code and possibly you could write a PR that protects against abuse. I would also like to see a notification somewhere, that my location was shared, so abuse is easier to detect, but otherwise I think AML in general is a good thing and harder to abuse, yes.
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True.
But if this thread is anything to go by uninformed conspiracy-minded people would be turning it off left right and center for no reason. And then promptly forget about the setting. Heck some might even come back to complain about it.
Maybe that is true freedom… i just can’t muster any sympathy for that argument.
From previous info that isn’t the case; thus my “it would be nice”. If only because i’m curious, and it could be neat to see that it had actually acquired a position at all.
But why tho?
To me that part comes across as a misguided unnecessary part of the question. But, yes, technically obviously that needs to be the case, as not being able to access the source code is the worse option like always.
Entirely fair; barely anything is too weird, but this is also not really game-changing. I think proportionality is key to not be barking up every tree.
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yes, please more status displays! I really would like to watch the system at work.
upload/download speed, network parameters like channel + field strenght/transmitting power, processor load + clock freq., power on / pwr.save of hardware components of the phone, … and all the things i don’t even know that they’re existing…
please with an UI in an airplane cockpit instrument design!
For the paranoid there’s always “silent SMS” (Privacy Roundup: Mandatory Data Retention, Smart Meter Hacks, and Law Enforcement Usage of "Silent SMS" | Electronic Frontier Foundation ; article in German: Heimliche Ortungsimpulse: Viele „Stille SMS“ bei Bund und Ländern).
You need more Blinkenlichten! 
edit: links fixed
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It’s a well known fact since x years that a 112 emergency call can be made without SIM card. Network identifies phone by IMEI number.
Yes, ok, some (me, why not) might over react.
But this reactions still shows something real. Some saturation, some fear, some tech dream disappointment.
No-technical-argument-people know that they are not able to detect if such a feature is abused one day.
Maybe they just would feel reassured with a magnifier and a switch.
EDIT: This make me think that our community have no technical argument neither that Jolla respects privacy (closed parts + blobs).
But I trust and believe.
yea, thx from my side, too. I’m an AnCap af, don’t need anyone to rob my money and my data. Taxation is theft, as well as the whole coercive mobile sector.
Thats why I asked in another thread how to completely remove the GSM code.
And that’s exactly why it should be an option, maybe hidden behind parent password, or as an accessibility feature for older users whose kids will make sure it’s turned on, no reason for all hiding and sneakiness. The result of hacks in this case will cause an unexpected behaviour as phone crashing when dialling 112 because of hacked ofono and there will be noone to complain, but hey, our lawmakers know better what is good for us
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I had an android app on my rooted xperia once and it could show silent sms, imsi catcher etc… Don’t know if something similar would be possible for sfos as well…
it’s also possible to flash SFOS on a tablet that has no GSM but only WLAN.
Or disassemble and disable the GSM part of the antenna (and reassemble :–)).
I’d bet in this case, GSM wouldn’t work very well any more.
I don’t think that it is a valid (or sane) argument to take away every such advanced option from all the wise and tech-savvy users only because some half-brain could misuse it. Following that way of thinking we’d all end up with everything around us crippled to such an idiot-proof level. Would you enforce selling blunt knives for the sake of security of some dorks who could possibly cut themselves and “heck, might even come back to complain about it”?
Heck, such a moron may forget to recharge the battery and nothing will work in case of emergency, not just location SMS. How would you like to deal with such an enormous threat to that moron’s safety? Enforce by law having the phone always charged?
It is everyone’s right to do even wrong things, as long as their consequences only affect himself and not others. You can’t forbid smoking cigarettes in someone’s private space, doing dangerous sport disciplines or other hazardous behavior only because it might result in someone’s OWN injury. It is everyone’s OWN responsibility to learn what doing certain things might cause to himself, and decide whether to do it. Or ignore learning it, and face consequences.
Any authoritities’ responsibility should be strictly restricted to providing sufficient and clear information to such persons about possible risks of doing certain things, but not to arbitrarily deprive everyone from being able to do it at all. So, also in this case, there should be sufficiently clear and easy to understand warnings, shown as many times and in as many places as possible, that turning off such a feature would result in this and that.
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Having worked in tech support for too long, the number of “experts” turning off essential options and then complaining about broken functionality is too damn high. I think in this case Jolla might even be liable and you could sue them, if an ambulance arrives too late to help you. Showing some notification that the location was shared would be fine, but giving every “expert” the option to turn it off is usually a bad idea,
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At least they bring jobs in tech support…
And whether it is essential…? Well, I somehow survived 49 years without it. I’d trade it for VoLTE without hesitation 
If so, then I guess one could also sue Sony for the existence of the “Power Off” button that can be “misused” to turn off everything, which not only prevents the location SMS from being sent but even the emergency call from being made at all. Now, THAT is an enormous security threat!
Let’s be serious, please.
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