| Cell Phone GPS Tracking – An Invasion of Privacy? |
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We all value our privacy. As much as possible, we don’t want other people to meddle in our private life and activities. However; in the present time and age, keeping our privacy is a major concern. This is with all the present innovations that can track our every movement. One of these is the cell phone GPS tracking. Any tracking device, such as the cell phone GPS tracking, has lots of advantages. In times of emergency, it can be used to call 911 and in return, save lives. The GPS signal from the cell phone will aid the 911operator to locate the exact place of the accident. For these reasons, the FCC has instructed that wireless network providers provide the cell phone GPS tracking location information for 911 calls which have been made from cell phones. This is known as E911.This is different from a call made from a landline, as the land line is registered to an address, and the relevant emergency services can be quickly dispatched to that address. The difference is that the house, or the property, does not change location, whereas the tracking of a GPS cell phone is registering the day to day movements of an individual. This matter gives rise to some privacy concerns of who can access such private information. Fortunately, there’s a law concerning E911 that is clear enough to all cell phone owners. The law permits carriers to provide tracking location information to third parties for e911 emergency calls only, however; not under any other circumstances whatsoever, without the consent of the cell phone owner. The privacy of cell phone GPS tracking has also been backed up by a number of recent court hearings. Recent court hearings have disallowed the requests of law enforcement agencies to obtain cell phone GPS tracking information from the cell phone companies for suspects. The courts have ruled that Congress has not authorized location tracking without actual evidence of wrongdoing, and that probable cause is not sufficient reason for the release of records. These events and actions by the government and concerned sector, only prove that they are safeguarding the privacy of every citizen. The cell phone GPS tracking, along with its advantages, can still be enjoyed without compromising privacy issues. The advance in technology is good as long as it is used in a proper way. |
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