World tracker

[Czar Soonerov]

http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/20/w...cellphone-spy/

Forget those piddly wiretaps. The next frontier in warrant-free surveillance is upon us, and it's open to everyone. A UK service called World Tracker apparently uses cell tower data (or GPS, when available) to track the location of just about any GSM cellphone. Just enter the number you want to track into the service's handy Google Maps-based interface, and you'll be able to zoom in on the device's location, with accuracy somewhere between 50 and 500 meters. The first time you try to track a phone, a text message is sent to the owner, who must reply in order to enable tracking (we'll leave it to you to figure out how to work around this if you need to track a spouse, kid or employee). The service is currently compatible with O2, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile in the UK, and has plans to expand to other markets including Germany, Spain, Norway and the US. If, that is, privacy advocates don't shut it down first.

I'm watching you Focker...

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

I am all for this kind of stuff. If we are not doing anything shady then why should we mind if they actually have this technology ?

[oumartin]

you know what, its all fine and dandy if you don't have any rights. say, right to privacy. here is where my loyalty to the right side goes away.
spy if warranted but otherwise leave people alone.

[StoopTroup]

I am all for this kind of stuff. If we are not doing anything shady then why should we mind if they actually have this technology ?

How about this.

Your cell phone was in the area of the crime last night and we are taking you in as a suspect.

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

How about this.

Your cell phone was in the area of the crime last night and we are taking you in as a suspect.

No proof = no arrest.

I understand your point however

[soonerbrat]

this would've come in very handy about 6 1/2 years ago.

[snp]

this would've come in very bad for me about 6 1/2 years ago.

Fixed for me. Teenage years

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Yeah it would be a sweet way to find out if the ole ball and chain is cheating too

[GottaHavePride]

They'll have that capability anyway - they're trying to upgrade networks all over the place so they can locate cell phones making 911 calls to decrease response time. This just means that with consent, the public would be allowed to use the same technology.

[proud gonzo]

they're behind by 22 years

[soonerscuba]

I use a company cell phone during the day, from a management prospective I could see the upside of this service. But, private use would just be creepy.

[SoonerWood]

I am all for this kind of stuff. If we are not doing anything shady then why should we mind if they actually have this technology ?

This is way of thinking is exactly where our loss of freedom begins.