Techlore Talks Telecom Insider Explains What Your Carrier Actually Sees (Cape Interview)
Mar 29, 2026
David Dunn, co-founder of Cape and privacy-focused cellular expert, explains what carriers actually collect and why that matters. He covers IMSI catchers, SIM swaps, cell-tower triangulation, call detail records, Wi‑Fi calling flows, SS7 risks, IMSI rotation, and how Cape builds network features to reduce subscriber data exposure.
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Bounty Hunter Stories Show How Readily Location Data Is Accessed
- David Dunn recalled stories where bounty hunters or others quickly located targets using accessible telecom data.
- He emphasized real harms for journalists or domestic-abuse victims when that data is misused or leaked.
SIM Swaps Depend On Carriers; IMSI Catchers Bypass Them
- SIM swap attacks often involve carrier-side social engineering or porting; IMSI catchers are radio-based attacks an operator can't fully prevent.
- 5G standalone and IMSI rotation reduce exposure but on-the-ground radios still pose risk.
Use Wi‑Fi Calling To Change Who Can Intercept Your Calls
- Enable Wi‑Fi calling to route registration and voice traffic over an IPsec tunnel to your operator, which hides intermediaries on visited networks.
- Be aware handovers between Wi‑Fi and cellular still reveal location transitions to the operator.