Can anyone track my mobile phone?

Today, with the help of GPS, you can imagine a world where you can be traced anywhere with the help of your mobile phone. A few years back this would have seemed like an illusion. But now, through GPS technology, you can be tracked down with the help of your GPS enabled phone. The illusion of tracking your mobile phone has now become a reality. Most of the mobile phones that are being released in the market today have a GPS facility, or Global Positioning System. These systems are capable of indicating the exact location of your whereabouts through your GPS enabled phone.

It is to be noted that the FCC, or Federal Communications Commission, rules will enable all phones to indicate your phone’s location. Now the question that arises is not whether you can be located. More important than this is how the information that is obtained through GPS is going to be used by those having access to it.

The Federal Communications Commission wireless rules (911) state that all U.S. mobile phones can have a GPS system or any other mobile tracking software and services to enable emergency personnel to locate people calling 911 from their mobile phones. Once the system is fully functional and implemented, operators will know the exact latitude and longitude of the location of your phone. This would be helpful in emergency situations in case you need help but are unable to communicate your whereabouts. Now, with the help of this technology, even laptops, desktops, PDAs and Wi-Fi enabled networking devices can be mapped to your phone’s location.

Well, as mentioned above, there are several benefits and advantages of GPS technology. It is very useful in times of emergency, if you are travelling to an unknown country or territory, or if your phone is lost or stolen. In all these circumstances, your phone can be tracked easily if relevant WAP services are enabled on your phone and your phone is switched on. But just as there are benefits of this GPS mobile phone tracking technology, there are disadvantages and dangers as well that you should be aware of. It feels scary to imagine the consequences of misuse and mishandling of personal data and information. If this information and data falls into the hands of hackers, spammers, identity thieves, etc., the consequences of privacy invasion may be dangerous. But companies who are in the field of GPS technology are taking all relevant security measures to prevent privacy invasion and to ensure that personal data and information remains in safe hands.

Social mapping permits people to make use of their mobile phones, laptops and PCs to transmit their location within a known circle for others to find them. Companies such as Loopt are working on social mapping networks. Loopt works strictly on permission. So, if somebody needs to track you or your phone, you need to enter their phone number for validation. You can withdraw or suspend access permissions any time. Only known acquaintances may be brought into the location network. If someone misuses this service, electronic services immediately report the misuse and the persons are tracked. Then again, as soon as you move to a new location, previous location records and history are deleted to prevent hackers and unauthorized personnel from getting access to them.