Both sides in the war in Ukraine are using cell phone signals to their tactical advantages, from gathering intelligence to focusing weapons fire, an in depth report from Sky News states.
Ukrainian troops are told to ditch their SIM cards and to get one from a military-approved source at the location where they’re deployed. Don’t accept discounted cards from locals; they could be plants from the enemy.
Soldiers are told to walk 400-500 meters away from their comrades before turning on a cell phone to call someone–and take an armed friend with you to stand guard. Limit the time of calls, and immediate leave the area when the call is complete.
Similar to campfires or cigarette lighters in foxholes, phone signals are an easy way to pinpoint the location of an enemy position. Experts say there’s still significant cell phone coverage in Ukraine because of redundant signal overlap in most areas with various cells picking up pings.
“The consequences of this aren’t always immediately apparent, which can lead to groups developing security practices that don’t take into account just how much they are monitored,” John Scott Railton, a senior researcher at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, said. “Maybe they’re not valuable enough targets to immediately send a missile at, but they might be valuable enough to track and glean intelligence from.”