Are there eSIM Hidden Dangers? 

I can answer some of your questions: 1. E-Sim is not stored in rom, and thus not removed with a factory reset / reflash. 2. You need Google Play Services to install a E-Sim in most if not all cases ( at least in the Netherlands ), but no need to sign in to Google. 3. You can remove an E-Sim using a service menu ( on Google Pixel phones at least ). I had to install an E-Sim on a degoogled phone, this was not possible on a Google Pixel 6A with Lineage OS and Arrow OS without Google Play Services, had to bring it back to stock, sideload a carrier app and then download and install the E-Sim. After the E-Sim was installed i could flash my deGoogled firmware ( erase everything ) and still use the E-Sim afterwards.. Luckily it is possible to erase the E-Sim with a deGoogled phone, no Google Play Services needed for that.. Haven;t tested this with Micro-G.. Hope this answers some of your questions, i will keep my current phones and will never use E-Sim again.. Thanks for explaining how a phone works with and without an (E)Sim regarding radios!

"Are esims a problem for privacy? In my opinion, yes! " Didn't see that one coming 🙂

Thanks for the Information Rob.

Hi Rob, it's great to see that your channel has gotten so much traction on YT! I used to stay up and watch you and Ron Waxman on Periscope :)

Thank you for the info! I did not know.

I suspect the time will come when it will be too dangerous to have a phone at all.

Your information is top level! Thank You! 🎉

I have a different question. Is it safe to use domain and hosting provider (like eg. OVH with Roundcube) as an email provider?

Thanks for this important info!!

wow. that was very informative. thanks

Did not know such details! Thanks!

Very informative, thanks

I have noticed that WhatsApp (I know, not a privacy friendly app, but that's not what I'm asking about) message backups can be decrypted on another phone, if you transfer your SIM to the new phone and re-register WhatsApp on the new phone. This indicates the decryption key is derived from information on the SIM. Do you know what information that might be? Could it be this KI value?

E-sim data can be remove from the phone. I had my android, I remove my old e-sim which I don't subscribe already.

Great breakdown!

Awesome video! Informative video. You are a legend my brother when it comes to privacy and freedom.

Do you have any videos on how to carrier unlock a cell phone?

Hi Rob, I'm in the U.K. Last July I updated my phone and i now have an iphone 14 plus. When I purchased this I asked for an Esim. The reason for this is that if my iphone was lost /stolen any criminal would not be able to remove the physical SIM card because there isn't one. I was under the impression (maybe mistaken) that this would make my phone more secure.

what will happen if I reset the phone to factory settings, will e sim be removed from the phone in that case

Had eSim on Pixel-5. It was useless. It was forever being disabled (by the carrier whose name started with a "V"). Always requiring a visit to a store and never requiring less than an hour.

On e/OS, I have the option to disable an eSIM without erasing it, and from the power usage, it looks like it actually stops transmitting when disabled.

you can disable any eSIM or physical SIM in settings > cellular, at least on iPhones.

Many people assume and will even argue that eSIMs are superior to SIM cards. Because the phone OEMs and the carriers have positioned eSIMs as a commodity technology. Before you automatically, blindly, passionately assert that eSIMs are somehow superior - before you rush out to buy one - you must answer one specific question: exactly how are eSIMs better, what specific advantage do they provide to consumers that SIM cards do not?

Some de-googled Roms have a toggle for SUPL like on CalyxOS.

There are some OpenEUICC cards that can be flashed for e-sim support. So the SIM module is now portable but ICCID can be used to track you.

The pixel 8 and pixel 8 pro now also turn into a "airtag" due to the new find my device update from Google.

Looking into meshtastic for local comms and movement.

What if you rotate a eSIMM on a 1250 lb pull unidirectional magnet?

@10:39 whaaaat iphones transmit bluetooth, ultra wideband and nfc while off? is there a way to stop all signal transmission?

I had a 'friend' some time ago, who had received a bit of shall we say , unwanted attention, from one of the alphabet agencies. Sooo, he mailed his long time "secure" cell phone to a remote area in equatorial Africa lol. While I can't rerify it, he swore to me later, that sure as hell, a 'contact' of his duly reported to him that sure as hell, two 'unidentified' foreigners showed up where the phone had remained in the local mail depot, and took possession. LOL Sometimes these agency peeps crack me up::) Moral of the story, simply don't use YOUR cell phone if you're going/doing anything 'sketchy'. PS: one caveat tho, you STILL have to consider OTHER forms of surveillance: i.e., sat images (amazing how good the camera's and i.d. algorithms have gotten), as well as the infrastructure for tracking chains of financial transactions, not to mention the standard 'tail' :) In these days, a good old "tangled web of deception" is what you WANT LOL.

Yeah…. I think I’ll go back to a flip phone, I’m tried of this technology crap. It’s nice but it’s too much and it’s ruined our lives. No one talks anymore or call each other, I rather call than text. It’s getting ridiculous out there.

i can't believe how well researched your videos are. grat job rob

one of your best videos, it is really really scary esp a turned off iphone acting as a tag because the battery is non removable. moral of the story, get and android with removable battery and use wifi calling and even then nothing would really change (ps: somehow the term geofencing has been used wrongly here)

I can disable an eSIM in my phone. I would assume this is the same as removing a psim? I can also delete eSIMs from my phone. I do have an iPhone for reference. Can you not delete esims from android phones?

If it is possible, without a doubt the shady people and corrupt will do it. Redirecting self driving cars Disabling Internet connected cars Tracking and mining your personal information your connected electronic device. Etc It has been done and every privacy clause is nothing but a feel good narrative.

can insurance carriers track you through your phone if you dont give them the privledge?

thank you

My MotoG 54g has an option to enable, disable or erase.

Can you help me? My phone has an esim that isn't configured, and every hour it sends a ping/notification and as a result it shuts off the physical sim temporarily. I don't want to configure it, the phone doesn't give me an option to turn off the esims notifications.

Thank you

What is in fact an esim? My watch, Samsung 6 classic lte has one. What lack the non esim variants? Is esim a feature installed or it need a different material support?

I can delete my eSIM on my iPhone 13. Under Settings -> Cellular the eSIM does not appear after deletion. Do you have any evidence that the eSIM was in fact NOT deleted from the phone?

I have an S24U and an Xperia 1V ... can they be degoogled?

Thanks

I never got a e sim because my friend told me it's not going to be land specific so for example if I'm in Thailand I need a Thai number to start with +48 (or whatever the land code is) so I can't log in to some apps like grab, bolt, Uber etc etc because the e sim number start with something random like +123 or something. can someone confirm this?

10:48 "or have some internet connection" Thanks for letting me know Airplane mode doesn't help, that was a shocker. But also confusing because I didn't know you can have internet connection in airplane mode.

Samsung android smartphones like S23+ it has the option for deactivating or removing eSIMs.

Eid ul Fitr Mubarak !

What about GPS spoofing apps? Does that trick the phone into believing it's in another place?

Get a faraday bag, or a separate unregistered vpn hotspot and connect your non SIM card phone via wi fi only, just stay out of trouble?

How does someone switch from an Esim back to a SIM card??

What about a cloned phone ? If you are in USA, and the cloned phone is anywhere else in the world ?

can it be removed from the board

My Samsung Galaxie 21 has an option to use/dont use e-sim. It is currently in the off position and has never been turned on. Not sure if that has any implications.

Well there goes the burner phones. 🤔😬

I have a Google pixel 8 and it has the option to erase the eSIM

Impressive!

No issues on my ESIM on my iPhone 15 pro max

A TRACKING DEVICE FOR ALL CARRIERS 😮

It is annoying but I guess I was just used to it, I've used CDMA phones for a long time and they never used SIMS until LTE. I guess if you always used a SIM card it would seem much worse.

We don’t have eSIM here in Norway 🇳🇴 Just a regular SIM card.

Strong!

I wonder if Airplane mode is the same as no sim Or maybe Airplane mode still transmitting our IMSI in silent? Just a security thought.... Apple could just have "silent" / "hidden" IMSI in the phone

But factory reset removes all data. In fact from UK, twice per year I travel to Thailand. Each time I need a new esim, you can't simply start up your old, the data is gone. No matter who, doing nothing wrong then nothing worry about anyway.

Without a sim your cellphone are not passive. It actively check accesibility of networks, and you always able to make emergenecy call. You just dont have abonent service. On the network level It is no technical difference do you have sim or not.

how about find phone from Google , from i heard could find a phone even if its "dead"😮

Sounds like bricking your phone and then needing two factor identification could be a real headache.

Please re@ct to "Pixel 8's powered-off Find My Device tr@cking also coming to other Android phones"

Me I prefer normal sim because it's available in every continent for exchange

Since phones without a SIM still receive signals, I wouldn't be surprised if there actually is a mechanism that could cause all mobile devices (even those without a SIM) to activate their 911 or equivalent geolocation process and immediately report their location. I fully expect CCP to have added that capability in all baseband modems that were manufactured in China or China controlled territories.

For carrying out unethical practices and breaching the privacy and data security these culprits must be subject to hefty penalties . It is mandatory that user privacy and security should be the top most prirorty of the organization. Since millions of accounts are been on boarded every single day and millions of services are dependent unauthorised access to sensitive information may cause loss in billions .

I accidentally deleted my e-sim so they’re easily removed. 🤷🏻‍♂️😂😂😂

I have an estimate and it can be removed. If you need a new sim you just call and request one from the phone company. I have a Samsung phone

Esim is an old school back in the days when we were new from the technology until sim created around between 80s to 90s

what you think about Esim Card ? Its a more private thing.

The last time I turned off my Android phone it said I could track my phone even when off. 😱 I guess I'll have to put it inside a empty potato chip bag like in the movie: Enemy of the State

Someone did a crime with there esim phone then for some reason you got it...... what happen now?

The eSim can be turned off. You can have maximum of 2 active eSims - all others are off.

I'd not have an eSIM phone on principle that I can't remove it.

There has never been an "e" that made something better :-) It's always a software trickery that makes it harder to control and use than the original physical object.

You can make esim as risky as a regular sim. There is a German company that sells programmable sim cards (you can load esim profiles to the card)..

Use a Fariday bag.

A physical SIM card can be removed temporarily if needed.

I think it would be wise then to have iPhones , leave them at home and go to a demonstration, that will open up the debate in courts as to the location of the person , even if pictures were taken, there will be 2 conflicting informations and it’d be terrifying for them to have the idea of leaving your phone somewhere be acceptable , or even normalized …

00:00 🔍 eSIMs, while not removable like physical SIM cards, pose potential privacy risks due to their operational similarities. 03:21 📱 Location-based threats, like Geo fencing, can utilize cell phone location data obtained from carriers, impacting privacy rights. 05:35 📡 Without a SIM card, a phone remains passive in radio reception mode; inserting a SIM card activates transmission, initiating connection attempts with carrier towers. 08:44 🗼 Tower triangulation, based on signal strength from multiple towers, determines rough phone location, posing privacy concerns. 10:22 🔄 Removing a SIM card halts transmissions; however, iPhones continue emitting signals even when turned off, affecting tracking capabilities. 12:36 💳 eSIMs, functionally similar to physical SIM cards, lack a clear method to erase subscription data, potentially perpetuating unauthorized transmissions. 15:31 ⚠ In emergency situations, having a removable SIM card provides options for privacy; eSIMs, lacking this option, could pose risks, especially with iPhones.

11:07 and this will waste even more battery

Anything e or digital or cloud or blockchain its out of your hand.

Buy a removable esim from 5ber you have all the benefits of esim and you can move it like a normal sim just check the compatibility otherwise you wont be able to controll it.

That why don't use Google to back it up

Carrier offer me to use E-Sim, I said no. And they allow me to use Physical Sim instead.

Just buy a ferradais cage bag

Wrong even if you power down or turn off your phone with a Sim card still inside, the Sim card will still transmit or peing the cellular tower, if you don't believe me just ask Eric Prince

Simple answer is yes especially making it very easy to be geofenced when being nearby a protest or crime scene!

You can factory reset a phone without deleting the eSIM

As a Telco Engineer, I was interested in your take on this topic. Not to be rude, but it seems that you only have a cursory knowledge of how SIM cards work, as your description of Ki is incorrect, among other things. While your descriptions of how mobile phones operate are somewhat imprecise, which may be due a lack of understanding or it could be to make explanations a bit simpler. Anyway, I counted at least 10 inaccuracies/imprecise statements before you even get to your questions about possible eSIM dangers. Anyhow, here are some quick points that may assist with understanding SIM/eSIM cards: 1. A physical SIM is just a bunch of mostly read only files on an IC that is used by your phone to scan for & connect to a mobile network. It can also store text messages, but space is extremely limited & it's rare for a phone to use this. 2. There are 2 components to an eSIM: 2.a. First is the eSIM in the phone, which is a mini OS to store downloaded eSIM profiles. 2.b. Second is the eSIM profile which can be downloaded via QR code or using an App. 3. How many eSIM profiles can be stored varies, most devices store at least 2, but it can be 10 or more. 4. In the settings menu of your iPhone or Android, you can select which eSIM profile(s) are active. 5. When you no longer require a SIM you can remove & destroy the physical card. With an eSIM you can disable & delete the stored eSIM profile to achieve the same result. 6. Many current devices support Dual-SIM or Dual-eSIM. Depending on the phone, this could be; 2 x physical SIMs, 1 x physical + 1 x eSIM, or 2 x eSIM. 7. All consumer devices only have one transmitter, so you can only have a radio connection via one SIM at a time, the other SIM would just listen when the transmitter is in use. Depending on the configuration, the phone can alternate between the 2 x SIM cards. 8. All phones allow you to delete an eSIM stored within the phone, but you cannot inspect the eSIM OS to validate this, this is because it's a secure enclave! 9. Phones only send data from an active SIM, & that's all an IMSI catcher can see. Disabled eSIM profiles cannot be used. If your phone has been fully hacked/compromised, it could be possible to see what inactive eSIM profiles are stored, just as one might do with physical access to the device. I know more details in this area, but it varies according to the chipset & if your phone has been fully compromised, it's probably by intelligence or law enforcement, so delving in further detail here is pointless. Network operators store CDR (Call Data Records) info which contains your IMEI & once your IMEI(s) is known, law enforcement can determine all SIM cards that have ever been used in that device (subject to how long the Operator retains the data to enable this).

❤

👍👍👍

If we stopped using cellphones I'd have nothing to do while I poop

Havent you ever heard of mock locations. I get tagged in cities 6 hours away and other states as well as other countries using this function. Its located in developer settings. Another option is to change your dhcp settings to static proxy then program the ip adress you want to be located at. from then on every wifi you connect to will say your at the programed ip address instead of where you really are.

nope. latest phones arent eSIM only