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rkm_hm Frequent Visitor
Joined: Nov 28, 2004 Posts: 532 Location: Warwick, UK
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 4:23 pm Post subject: Journey Log Files? |
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According to a recent BBC Northern Ireland item - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16101141 - satmap manufacturers such as TomTom are able to access a log file - holding details of everywhere you've been - whenever you connect your satmap to the internet to update maps, etc.
Is this true of TomTom (if at all!) and, if so, where on my GO Classic can I find the offending files? Are they in plain text, or in a binary format of some sort? _________________ Roger
TomTom via135
Satmap Active 10+ v1.50 with full UK 1:50k map and 1:25k/1:10k County maps of Hampshire & Warwickshire |
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falkirk81 Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Jul 07, 2006 Posts: 1649 Location: Newcastle, England, UK
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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Not sure where they are kept or in what format, but Tomtom do collect anonymous data just like that report portrays.
This is what the Tomtom IQ routes data is based on, and if you have a LIVE enabled device with HD traffic on, they use your Tomtom's movements to see where traffic slowdowns are and average road speeds.
There are always options to turn these features off, but I believe that Tomtom knowing about me driving to work and back, or the delay going over the Tyne bridge is of no privacy issue to me.
Steven _________________ Tomtom GO 1005 LIVE
iPhone 12 |
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rkm_hm Frequent Visitor
Joined: Nov 28, 2004 Posts: 532 Location: Warwick, UK
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 5:05 pm Post subject: |
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My device is not LIVE capable, let alone LIVE enabled! But the BBC article seemed to suggest that there was something stored in the device itself - which could be accessed when connected to the internet via TomTom Home. In that case, it could probably be accessed on a PC by looking at a particular file on the SD card - if you know what to look for.
Where I go isn't much of a privacy issue, but I can imagine some people not wanting their wife to know that they've been visiting their mistress, or not wanting the police to know how fast they've been going!
I'm just curious to know what - it anything - it has stored about my journeys. Anyone know how to find/decode it? _________________ Roger
TomTom via135
Satmap Active 10+ v1.50 with full UK 1:50k map and 1:25k/1:10k County maps of Hampshire & Warwickshire |
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matthewj Frequent Visitor
Joined: Apr 03, 2006 Posts: 751
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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LIVE is indeed not a part of this. My old 910 gathered such info for ages. TomTom Home used to show that it was uploading the info, but I haven't seen it lately.
As for the question - I've never seen anyone describe how it works. I don't think I'd worry about that. |
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falkirk81 Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Jul 07, 2006 Posts: 1649 Location: Newcastle, England, UK
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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I never said LIVE was the same as the logging described in the video, simply that LIVE devices also contribute more to the logging as they are able to upload more data anonymously.
Every tomtom device 'can' record information like in the video, it is an option when you start using it to provide this data to them to improve maps, realistic journey times (IQ routes) etc.
I do not know however where it is stored or in what format.
Steven _________________ Tomtom GO 1005 LIVE
iPhone 12 |
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pcaouolte Frequent Visitor
Joined: Dec 27, 2006 Posts: 998 Location: South Lincs, UK.
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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The data gets stored in a folder on the TomTom called statdata.
The files are called triplog-yyyy-mm-dd.dat where yyy-mm-dd represents the date of the journey.
triplog files only get stored if there is a file in statdata called allowtrip.dat.
The triplog files get deleted from the device once they have been uploaded to TomTom using Home. So for people that have TomTom home running automatically most of the time when you look at the device there will be no triplog files present.
The triplog files contain binary data. I have no idea how to decode it despite significant effort to do so. I also can't find anyone else on the interweb who knows how to decode it. _________________ Paul |
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rkm_hm Frequent Visitor
Joined: Nov 28, 2004 Posts: 532 Location: Warwick, UK
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:10 pm Post subject: |
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pcaouolte wrote: | The data gets stored in a folder on the TomTom called statdata.
The files are called triplog-yyyy-mm-dd.dat where yyy-mm-dd represents the date of the journey.
triplog files only get stored if there is a file in statdata called allowtrip.dat.
The triplog files get deleted from the device once they have been uploaded to TomTom using Home. So for people that have TomTom home running automatically most of the time when you look at the device there will be no triplog files present.
The triplog files contain binary data. I have no idea how to decode it despite significant effort to do so. I also can't find anyone else on the interweb who knows how to decode it. |
That explains a lot - thanks. In my statdata folder there's a file called disallowtrip.dat - which is only one byte long. If I change the name to allowtrip.dat, will it then start recording trips? [Not that I will know what they mean if they're binary files!]
I can't see anything in the menu to turn trip logging on and off. Am I missing something, or can it only be done by knife and fork methods? _________________ Roger
TomTom via135
Satmap Active 10+ v1.50 with full UK 1:50k map and 1:25k/1:10k County maps of Hampshire & Warwickshire |
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mikealder Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jan 14, 2005 Posts: 19638 Location: Blackpool , Lancs
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:17 pm Post subject: |
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disallowtrip.dat containg a numeric 2 and nothing else will stop it saving data, you can open the allowtrip.dat file by right clicking it and choosing OpenWith/ NotePad, just make sure when you saveAs that you remember to change the file extension type from txt to dat
The other thing TomTom did with this "user supplied data" a while ago was sold part of it to the Police who could then use it to locate known streches of road where speeding takes/ took place enabling them to position cameras in the best spot to earn revinue, I don't think this was in this country though I might add - Mike |
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Oldboy Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Dec 08, 2004 Posts: 10643 Location: Suffolk, UK
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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rkm_hm wrote: | I can't see anything in the menu to turn trip logging on and off. Am I missing something, or can it only be done by knife and fork methods? | I think its controlled in the HOME Preferences Menu.
"Enable collection of anonymous usage statistics." _________________ Richard
TT 910 V7.903: Europe Map v1045
TT Via 135 App 12.075: Europe Map v1135 |
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rkm_hm Frequent Visitor
Joined: Nov 28, 2004 Posts: 532 Location: Warwick, UK
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 10:53 pm Post subject: |
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Oldboy wrote: | rkm_hm wrote: | I can't see anything in the menu to turn trip logging on and off. Am I missing something, or can it only be done by knife and fork methods? | I think its controlled in the HOME Preferences Menu.
"Enable collection of anonymous usage statistics." |
So you set that in Home, with the device connected to your PC, and Home configures the device to log trips by mucking about with the allowtrip.dat and disallowtrip.dat files?
That would explain why there's nothing in the device's own menus. _________________ Roger
TomTom via135
Satmap Active 10+ v1.50 with full UK 1:50k map and 1:25k/1:10k County maps of Hampshire & Warwickshire |
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Andy_P Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jun 04, 2005 Posts: 19991 Location: West and Southwest London
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Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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rkm_hm wrote: | I can imagine some people not wanting their wife to know that they've been visiting their mistress, or not wanting the police to know how fast they've been going! |
Even if you disable the statsdata logging, you'll find all your recent destinations are stored in as plain text MapSettings.cfg (that's how they appear on the Navigate to.... recent destination menu.
The police (and divorce lawyers) love that one! _________________ "Settling in nicely" ;-) |
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rkm_hm Frequent Visitor
Joined: Nov 28, 2004 Posts: 532 Location: Warwick, UK
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Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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Andy_P wrote: | Even if you disable the statsdata logging, you'll find all your recent destinations are stored in as plain text MapSettings.cfg (that's how they appear on the Navigate to.... recent destination menu.
The police (and divorce lawyers) love that one! |
Presumably if you just use it to show you where you are - and warn of speed cameras - without setting a route, these destinations don't get stored? _________________ Roger
TomTom via135
Satmap Active 10+ v1.50 with full UK 1:50k map and 1:25k/1:10k County maps of Hampshire & Warwickshire |
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Andy_P Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jun 04, 2005 Posts: 19991 Location: West and Southwest London
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