Leigh Marriner — 5 October 2005
If you use a cell phone the government can track you
I went into a Verizon store last week to switch my cell phone number over to a different device. My current phone broke and I want to buy the Motorola Razr Q when it comes out in January. So I brought in my old phone as a temporary replacement. I thought it was identical to the simple phones my kids still use, except that mine’s black instead of a cool silver that lights up blue when a call comes in. But Verizon wouldn’t hook it up. Why? The government no longer lets them hook up a phone unless it has GPS. This must be the best kept secret around. If your cell phone is on, the government or law enforcement can track where you’ve been. That’s creepy.
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In addition, many phones have the ability to turn GPS off except when dialing 911. Of course, you may feel more comfortable wearing a tin foil hat if you want to prevent the government from tracking you.
Posted by Ross on October 20, 2005 07:32 PM | Permalink to Comment
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That's not exactly correct. Operators in the US have to provide information to the Government for 911 calls (E911 regulations). Some operators, notably the CDMA ones, have gone for a GPS solution, others use triangulation of the base stations your phone connects to.
Note that mobile operators have always been able to track where you are - they have to, to know where to route the call. Governments have been able to request this information in some countries with a court order.
Posted by Chris on October 16, 2005 11:18 PM | Permalink to Comment