Sensor calibration settings can be used by apps/sites to fingerprint iOS and Android phones.
We added a "Lockdown Mode" for the Librem 5 which allows you to defend against this.
Librem 5 Lockdown Mode: puri.sm/posts/lockdown
Sensor Calibration Attack: zdnet.com/article/androi
Conversation
Hey & , we thought ahead and put in features on our upcoming smartphone (the Librem 5) to defend against issues like this. ;)
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This is about sites using the sensors as a fingerprinting mechanism. How exactly does this lockdown mode help to defend against it? The mode is enabled as part of disabling the Wi-Fi and cellular radios, so the user won't be connected to the site in the first place. Not relevant.
It would be somewhat relevant if you were proposing to have a dedicated kill switch for these sensors, although it would only truly be applicable when the OS is compromised. It's also noteworthy the microphone kill switch won't work without these sensors being included in it.
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The studies on abusing those sensors from Android / iOS apps are limited to 100 / 200 Hz polling and yet they can still record enough audio to decode speech fairly well. The situation is completely different for the hardware kill switch threat model as that polling limit is gone.
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