Can I fake GPS location?

[BMWBen]

V8 WUU said:

My Employer wants us to start clocking in and out using a mobile app called "Deputy" which records your GPS location on clocking in.


Is there anyway to make my iPhone location at my works address at say 6am while I am at home in bed


Ive used VPN's etc to show myself in a different country for Netflix etc, but is there any way to trick the GPS?


Obviously hypothetically ...........

Just deny access to the GPS for the app - both iPhones and Android will let you do this. Then when your employer asks why they don't have GPS data for you, tell them. The solution is not going to be to lie about it/deceive people. If what they're doing is wrong, stand up against it. If it isn't, comply.

[anonymous-user]

I appreciate you may be withholding info due to it being sensitive etc, but I think understanding why they are doing it - what the benefits are and whether legally they can do such things on a device they do not own. Is it in a contract anywhere?

Surely it would make more sense for them to give you a phone or have a tracker in the vehicle. The benefits of this could be pushed as security for you etc and protecting their assets I guess.

As someone else has said, based on what you have shared, it seems the company is likely pissed that a few are taking the piss with their hours. If this is the case, spoofing it is going to make you look pretty fking guilty, when they could surely check the odd day and see you are not there.

Also, if there are trackers in a work van, or any other devices they have given you and these give conflicting information you are again on shaky ground.

[red_slr]

V8 WUU said:

My Employer wants us to start clocking in and out using a mobile app called "Deputy" which records your GPS location on clocking in.

Is there anyway to make my iPhone location at my works address at say 6am while I am at home in bed

Ive used VPN's etc to show myself in a different country for Netflix etc, but is there any way to trick the GPS?

Obviously hypothetically ...........

As a business owner this does amuse me, not in a good way.

At a guess employees taking the mick with time keeping.
Company looks to improve this situation by introducing electronic time keeping.
Employees then try and get round the system so they can continue to abuse their employer, meanwhile taking their employers money whilst in bed rather than working. Hypothetically speaking.

No wonder the country is fubard.

[TonyRPH]

red_slr said:

As a business owner this does amuse me, not in a good way.
<snip>

I'm self employed and don't employ anybody.

But following conversations with various tradespeople over the past couple of years, it would seem that companies are seeing electronic snooping as a way of boosting productivity.

Whilst there will always be the piss takers, I would like to think that snooping to this extreme is really unnecessary.

Back in the 80's I was a TV repairman for several years, and my daily workload was manageable although there were days when I had to work over in order to complete the assigned calls for the day.

So it's give and take.

But this monitoring mentality is turning into a take, take, take mentality which only serves to alienate employees so I just don't see the point, as now every one just wants to do as much as they have to and no more.

Therefore I think employers (and their customers) are losing out ultimately.

[red_slr]

TonyRPH said:

red_slr said:

As a business owner this does amuse me, not in a good way.
<snip>

I'm self employed and don't employ anybody.

But following conversations with various tradespeople over the past couple of years, it would seem that companies are seeing electronic snooping as a way of boosting productivity.

Whilst there will always be the piss takers, I would like to think that snooping to this extreme is really unnecessary.

Back in the 80's I was a TV repairman for several years, and my daily workload was manageable although there were days when I had to work over in order to complete the assigned calls for the day.

So it's give and take.

But this monitoring mentality is turning into a take, take, take mentality which only serves to alienate employees so I just don't see the point, as now every one just wants to do as much as they have to and no more.

Therefore I think employers (and their customers) are losing out ultimately.

I am sure there are companies who have used this type of thing to ensure they are getting 100% from their people rather than 99.9%, and yeah its probably a bit harsh in this day and age.

However, reading the OP, I suspect this is more a case of the company sick to the back teeth of people not pulling their weight.

Just a guess though, I could be wrong.

[xjay1337]

OriginalFDM said:

Can’t fathom why you don’t just use the system as it’s intended to be used? Unless you’re wilfully defrauding your employer of course which is something of a slippery slope.

And if it is to do with fire regs then what happens when there’s a fire drill and you’re allegedly in the building when you’re not?

Doesn’t seem like an awful lot of good can come from this on the face of it!

I don't think it's anything to do with Fire?!

I don't like the idea of work expecting you to provide them with your GPS location on your PERSONAL MOBILE PHONE to "sign in".
Why not just have a simple clocking in machine with a finger print reader like many warehouses (amazon etc) if it's that important........

[anonymous-user]

Better not to consent to it over commiting fraud.

[RTB]

xjay1337 said:

I don't think it's anything to do with Fire?!

I don't like the idea of work expecting you to provide them with your GPS location on your PERSONAL MOBILE PHONE to "sign in".
Why not just have a simple clocking in machine with a finger print reader like many warehouses (amazon etc) if it's that important........

It's not to do with fire regs. I'm sure the fire brigade wouldn't be very happy to risk life and limb to rescue your phone that you'd left charging at your desk whilst you popped out in your lunch hour.

[xjay1337]

Quite so!

Hadn't thought of that as a reason, but just another thing to consider...

[OlonMusky]

sc0tt said:

If thats the case and with deepest regret i’ll own up to being a fire warden at work. Imagine an actual fire and someone is sent back in to look for you...

As Benji F. once famously said "Those who give up liberty for security deserve neither.”

[Longtime Lurker]

Get one of these "i cant seem to install the app on my phone" job done.

[WestyCarl]

RTB said:

It's not to do with fire regs. I'm sure the fire brigade wouldn't be very happy to risk life and limb to rescue your phone that you'd left charging at your desk whilst you popped out in your lunch hour.

But you'd clock out for lunch like any other system.

[PAULJ5555]

Longtime Lurker said:

Get one of these "i cant seem to install the app on my phone" job done.

Was just going to say the same thing, get a £10 basic phone from ASDA.
OP what would they say if your battery was dead, phone playing up, left my phone at home, lost it. ect ect

A builder I know has his workers on an app that tracks them all day when they are clocked in. He can even see if they are in the front garden or back garden of a property when hes not there.

[ATG]

red_slr said:

I am sure there are companies who have used this type of thing to ensure they are getting 100% from their people rather than 99.9%, and yeah its probably a bit harsh in this day and age.

However, reading the OP, I suspect this is more a case of the company sick to the back teeth of people not pulling their weight.

Just a guess though, I could be wrong.

That's quite possibly right, but you do have to wonder if this isn't a counterproductive response and possibly symptomatic of the problem that led the company to have a demotivated and unproductive workforce in the first place.

[Johnspex]

This thread will give the spelling police an orgasm.

[Jinx]

So much fun could be had though - maybe clocking in with the GPS set to your bosses home and other such wacky locations?

[Funky Squirrel]

Jinx said:

So much fun could be had though - maybe clocking in with the GPS set to your bosses home and other such wacky locations?

My work is considering doing something similar, if they do I am so doing this!

[tangerine_sedge]

Tell them you'd love to, but you're worried that they might be breaking the law. Ask them if they have a gdpr complaint policy for holding this information.

Whilst they spend the next 6 months talking to their legal guys, you can find a job with a company which treat their staff with respect.

[deckster]

tangerine_sedge said:

Tell them you'd love to, but you're worried that they might be breaking the law. Ask them if they have a gdpr complaint policy for holding this information.

Whilst they spend the next 6 months talking to their legal guys, you can find a job with a company which treat their staff with respect.

To which of course the answer is "absolutely yes", because this is their data held about their employees in the course of carrying out their business.

[Otispunkmeyer]

Troubleatmill said:

V8 WUU said:

My Employer wants us to start clocking in and out using a mobile app called "Deputy" which records your GPS location on clocking in.


Is there anyway to make my iPhone location at my works address at say 6am while I am at home in bed


Ive used VPN's etc to show myself in a different country for Netflix etc, but is there any way to trick the GPS?


Obviously hypothetically ...........

That is the most compelling reason to leave an organisation.

Do you ever see these motivational quotes on LinkedIn?

When did you ever see one that said "Our employees are our most valuable resource - we track their phones to clock in.."?

Get a new (better) job.

I'm not sure our lot do this, but when they finally had to give up the windows phones and shift everyone to iOS, there were a bundle of apps on it in a folder. One is IBM Maas360 , I opened it. It seems to be an app for remotely managing devices? but I notice it logs the location of the device.

No evidence that they're even looking at this, but they have just essentially handed everyone tracking devices without saying a word.