Where are the locations on http://status.outernet.is derived from?
Are updates to the site from skylark automatic?
Can it be shut off?
Thanks
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so right now do you see yourself on the status page?
if so you can just go back into the Outernet network settings and click on network mode.
go down to wifi mode. and change it from connect to wifi router. to create a hotspot…
reboot. and now it will not show on the status page… but now your IP will be 10.0.0.1
hopw that helps
Right now its on a private network that doesnt have internet. Its not ap mode. The point here is that i should be able to opt out no matter the config, ap or client mode.
You must not transmit such specific information without consent.
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As far as I am aware it only sends receiver status (snr, signal lock state, etc). Location is found via your IP, which isn’t very accurate. It’s not sending outernet any sensitive information.
considering that this is designed to be used in a situation where a need for information outside of the regular methods (read gov controlled media, no media or un"friendly regimes") sending such information is the same as an address since they could easily determine the EXACT location from it. heck a reverse DNS will narrow it down considerably. Ip though are very easily tracked the the exact device by an ISP. Im not saying that Outernet itself would do anything irresponsibly with this info, its the fact its being sent in the first place.
the fact that open internet is there doesn’t mean that the “powers” aren’t monitoring whats going out and what urls are being requested, and controlling that (Chinas Gov firewall anyone??) and using that information to determine who has “tried” to get “unauthorized” information.
The point here is that regardless of how benign this seems sitting in a comfortable AC cooled home, the fact remains that this information was transmitted from my location without my knowledge or consent, and fundamentally that is unacceptable.
Opt in dialog when you first login to skylark, and provide an option to stop it.
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You right, there should at the very least be a note under client tab in network settings. You can always block WAN access in your router settings. Perhaps @Abhishek can provide a better solution. However the people that need this the most wont have Internet access anyway.
Access to information in China is actually pretty easy. The Great Firewall may block some information, but most of what is blocked is only to encourage the use of Chinese owned an operated websites. Then the government allows Chinese owned vpn sites to operate, most likely for a fee.
currently i can easily block the device at my router, but that isnt the point, as you stated…
regarding the “The Great Firewall” while in China for work, it was very difficult to get to some sites, additionally i was warned very directly about trying to go to some political sites outside the country. frankly when i go there i take a newly imaged “clean” laptop, and only the sourcecode for the specific portion of the project i’m working on…
anyway, i got my point across …
Oops - - this is me in Washington, DC, thru a new VPN service running from a server in Iceland for a test. 
Ken
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LMFAO haha… nice…