Employees who travel for work may think they have more freedom than most other workers. While this may be true, employees should be aware that your employer may be tracking you with a GPS device.
My Cell Phone Is Tracking Me: Legally or Not?
Cell Phone Jammers / Knowledge Base
I never really thought much about how my cell phone could be used to track my every move—until I realized just how easy it is for others to know exactly where I am, whether I like it or not. GPS triangulation and location tracking might be helpful if I were a lost pet, a child, or someone with Alzheimer’s, but for me, it feels like an invasion of privacy. Who else is tracking me, and is it even legal?
---Tracked By The Government
I always assumed there were laws protecting me from being tracked by the authorities without a warrant. Turns out, I was wrong. Recent court decisions have sent mixed messages about whether the government needs a warrant to track someone using cell phone data. In August 2011, a federal judge in New York ruled that police need a warrant to track someone using cell tower triangulation. But just two months later, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled the opposite in a case involving a suspected armed robber.
According to Robert Ellis Smith, an attorney and editor of Privacy Journal, there’s no clear nationwide policy on this issue. The question at the heart of these cases is how the Fourth Amendment—which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures—applies in the digital age. Is it okay for the government to track my location without my consent? It seems the answer depends on the situation, and that uncertainty makes me uneasy.
---Tracked By Others
If the government can track me, so can just about anyone else. I was shocked to learn that tracking software can be installed on my smartphone by anyone with access to it—and sometimes, they don’t even need physical access. According to Angela Daffron, founder of Jodi’s Voice, an anti-stalking advocacy group, all someone might need to track me is my phone number, carrier, and phone type.
Even worse, there are companies selling tracking apps that let spouses or parents monitor someone’s location and communications. And it’s not even illegal. In one case, a New Jersey court ruled that it wasn’t an invasion of privacy for a spouse to install a tracking device on a jointly owned car. That makes me wonder: who else could be tracking me without my knowledge?
---Protecting Myself
I’ve decided to take steps to minimize the chances of being tracked. First, I’ve started saying no to apps that ask for location access. I’ve also gone into my phone’s settings and turned off location services where I can. I even learned that Google maps Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide, so I added “_nomap” to my home network name to keep it off their radar.
Angela Daffron recommends keeping my phone with me at all times and being careful about who I share my number with. I’ve also installed antivirus software like Norton to protect against spyware. But if I really want to make sure no one is tracking me—not even for emergency purposes—I’ve considered using anti-tracking jammers, though I know they come with their own legal and ethical concerns.
---What I Think About It All
The idea that my phone could be used to track me without my consent is unsettling. Whether it’s the government, a stranger, or even someone I know, I feel like my privacy is being violated. I believe there should be clearer laws to protect people like me from being tracked without a warrant or explicit permission. For now, I’ll keep taking steps to protect myself, but I can’t help wondering: how much of my privacy have I already lost?
Countries
If you want to know the frequencies of your country, we can offer you some help:
It Is Now Permissible to Hide Gps Tracking of Employees
The Account of My Experience with Acquiring the Jammer
GPS is particularly prevalent in the transportation and distribution services industry. That's because GPS devices installed in company vehicles help check the status of a package's delivery or provide assistance in the event of a vehicle breakdown. In these cases, employees may know that a GPS device is installed on the vehicle and that their whereabouts are being tracked.
Modern Drones: Epic Flight with Possible Threats to My Privacy
The world of filmmaking has come a long way since the days of silent films. Back then, iconic actors like Charlie Chaplin made us laugh without saying a word, and even the slapstick humor of the Three Stooges kept audiences entertained. But fast forward to today, and the special effects in Hollywood movies are beyond anything anyone could have imagined a few decades ago. Drones, in particular, have changed the game in so many ways, especially in the film industry.
