Digital Angels and Coupons From Above
from the we-know-exactly-where-you-are- dept
Gary Brown writes "An article running at HowStuffWorks shows how location tracking is one of those double-edge swords of technology. It can help find people in an emergency, but it can also ensure your whereabouts are known at all times. The FCC has ruled that cell-phone providers must equip their phones with GPS receivers by October 2001. By using global positioning system (GPS) satellites and local, land-based networks, these new systems will use wireless radio signals to find you wherever you are. If your cell phone is equipped with an FCC--required GPS receiver, it will be nearly impossible to conceal your location if you choose not to opt out of the network. Digital Angel uses GPS satellites and an AT&T wireless network to track people wearing a BioSensor watch and GPS-equipped pager device. While you are shopping, PanGo's Proximity Platform sets up zones of radio signals that send coupons and other announcements to a consumer's wireless device."
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Until they mandate dermal implants...
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Re: Until they mandate dermal implants...
But regardless, I think it will be relatively easy to hide your location even while using one of these phones -- as long as the GPS receiver has a separate antenna from the phone (which I think would be the case, since they're on different frequencies), then just wrap some foil around the GPS antenna.
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Re: Until they mandate dermal implants...
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