The proof is common sense, if the data is being transmitted through a feature that is built into the iOS firmware it cannot be traced. If the data is being transmitted through a 3rd party application(with an application signature) it can be easily detected. The proof also exists in the fact that nobody who has used *only* TetherMe has ever received so much as a warning for tethering whereas there have been hundreds if not thousands of cases of MyWi users not only receiving warning notifications but even being forcibly removed from their unlimited data plans.
First and foremost,
Jmills87 is 100% correct on this subject matter as of today.
But I want to dispel one notion right off the bat.
All carriers can detect tethering IF they want to.
Now while that sinks in, let me explain why
Jmills87 is correct as of right this second.
To detect tethering, no matter what features of iOS you use or custom code you write, they simply have to throw a great deal of computer power at the issue to detect it. Which is something they have not done.
YET.
To detect tethering, under any condition, requires them to filter all of your packets thru their network. Once they spend the time and money to do that, without impacting the data flow rate LOL, then they only have to look at some very simple tell-tale signs, to see that you are tethering.
Let me give you a very simple example of what I mean. TCP/IP is a very well documented process that has barely changed since the 80s. Every device that talks on the internet must follow these rules. The packet of information you send from your laptop to the iPhone and then over the cellular link must follow these rules.
So if your laptop is running Windows and you have it setup as a standard user, the first thing Windows will do, when it finds an active internet connection, will be to contact a DNS (Domain Name Server) to look up two addresses. The first is to see if your internal laptop clock is correct and the second is to find the current update server for Windows. Once those two DNS request resolves, your laptop will contact both servers. Does your iPhone do that normally? No? Bingo. They just caught you. I could spend days coming up with scenarios for every OS out there. Some I am going to save everyone a lot of trouble and skip straight to the end game.
How do you keep them from detecting it? Simple answer. You don't. BUT you can change their ability to say it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Because most countries require the accuser to show evidence. How do you remove the evidence? Well you can't. Because you are tethering. There is going to be data flowing. But you can change HOW it looks, which is in of itself, a tell-tale sign of tethering. But one that can be argued away if everyone is smart about it.
The answer?
Full encrypted proxies for all internet activity on your laptop. What that means is, your laptop internet connection basically goes thru a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to another server that the cellular company can't capture the data from. Because everything you do is now encrypted, all they can see is that you are doing "something". They don't know what that something is. They can't easily, if ever, crack the encryption. All they can see is TCP packet with binary data that doesn't make sense.
So about now someone is asking, "But if they see that they can just shut you down". And that is where life has a bit of irony to it. VPNs are used by every major corporation out there to do secure business from multiple remote offices. Apple wants to be in those business user's hand. IE, VPN is already supported in iOS.
That's right. Apple has already given the end user the best tool to use when questioned about tethering. I have been chuckling over this fact for years.
BTW, I will not be answering questions on how to set this up. Primarily because they are a bazillion results thru Google on how to do it. Go read. I just thought you should now what the current state of the tethering war is and what the end game of that war will be.
