Are LoRa networks a way around the surveillance state?

https://lemmy.world/post/43214516

Are LoRa networks a way around the surveillance state? - Lemmy.World

I’ve recently discovered meshtastic and related tech. With the trust vacuum around cell phones and data scraping and tracking etc, I basically assume the government et al can see what’s up on my iphone constantly. For interpersonal communication regarding civil disobedience, protest, resistance etc-- do LoRa devices offer an actual solution? or am I very mistaken? I’m posting from a laptop that I converted to Linux (not tech savvy so that was a project) from behind a VPN- genuinely looking to hear from smarter people than me regarding privacy and secure communication

I have been dipping my toes into meshtastic for the past few months, now having a T-Deck as a home repeater and a small node I carry in my pocket.

Channels can be E2EE if you set it up, but public channels are usually not.

In terms of being trackable, I would venture to say it does not protect you from being tracked. Most devices use a GPS signal to report location (though you can run them without this iirc). Most devices also require a phone in order for you to configure, and read/send messages.

Your best option would be a T-Deck without a GPS module, though as someone has stated in this thread there is a vulnerability allowing tracking of the MAC.