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Information
Source - Science & Technology
Personal Tracking Devices In Cell Phones?
by: Dakota Caudilla
Cell phones have come a long way – regardless of whether
you’re a business person or stay-at-home mom, having a cell
phone with you is no longer a privilege – it’s a NECESSITY.
In this modern technology age, the cell phone has progressed
from being just your average communication device. The cell
phone is now also a personal organizer, diary, calculator,
timer, alarm clock, emailing device, faxing equipment, news
reporter, etc.
In times of emergency, a cell phone can and will definitely
prove to be a life-saver and 14-year-old Kelly Emerson can
attest to that. Getting lost in a jungle is no fun for the
teen. But thanks to her careful and wary mom, Kelly took a
cell phone with her and when she got lost in the jungle, the
cell phone she had with her saved her life. Within 3 hours,
they found her hanging to her cell phone and praying. Wet,
crying, hungry – but safe!
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently suggested
that communication companies work harder to incorporate a
location pinpointing device and technology on cell phones
so that call receivers can check the location of the caller
in times of emergency. For people like Kelly Emerson, the
cell phone saved her life – but with an advancement of technology,
the caller or owner of the cell phone may not even need to
be awake or conscious in order for others to detect their
location. Well, there are pros and cons to that kind of technology,
and currently, this recommendation has come under fire and
is under a lot of debate today. People are not keen on turning
their cell phones into personal tracking devices because of
very obvious reasons – it’s a form of intrusion into their
personal lives. And instead of saving lives, cell phones with
this ability may even become a threat. Let’s say, a murderous
husband is trying to track down a runaway wife and is able
to detect her location via her cell phone.
While individuals are quite confused about this new cell
phone technology, large corporations are more than happy to
welcome this new cell phone technological advancement. Imagine…with
this personal tracking device installed into their customers’
cell phones, companies can locate the customers via their
cell phones. If the customer is within the vicinity of their
outlet, they can instantly send messages or make calls to
that customer!
However, telecommunication companies are stumped on whether
this new cell phone feature should be incorporated into future
cell phones. Like the Internet, privacy is a huge problem.
Personal information is big in the data-mining business, but
so is privacy.
We’ll just have to see how far cell phone companies are willing
to go to make their bucks!
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About The Author
Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota
Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor
of http://www.cellphone-source.com
on which you will find a longer, more detailed version
of this article.
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