Can Anyone Track Your Phone Across the Globe? Geolocation Company Makes it Possible
- Posted on July 18, 2011 at 6:24pm by
Buck Sexton
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Wired is reporting on a somewhat under-the-radar company called TruePosition that sells technology enabling highly accurate tracking of cellphones to anyone, anywhere with enough cash to pay for it.
Based out of Pennsylvania, the company’s technology has highly beneficial applications for law enforcement and other emergency personnel, and is already in widespread use by those entities in the US. It provides LOCINT- Locational Intelligence, in emergency situations to within 50 meters based on the positioning of your phone to nearby cellular towers. So if your car flips over late at night, you are trapped, and can’t reach your phone- police can find you and possibly save your life. According to Wired, TruePosition locates about 60 million 911 calls each year. Fox News reported on its role in 911 tracking back in 2009.
One prospective use of the technology is to create a so-called “GeoFence,” which the TruePosition touts as tool for homeland security, described below in an exchange with Wired:
“An invisible barrier around sensitive sites like critical infrastructure, such as oil refineries or power plants…The barrier contains a list of known phones belonging to people who work there, allowing them to pass freely through the covered radius. If any phone enters that is not on the authorized list, [authorities] are immediately notified.”
The concern regarding this remarkable technology is that TruePosition has entered the national security market on an international scale-a development that has people worried about who will use it, and why. As Wired lays out the issue, we must ask the question:
“What if the governments using TruePosition’s gear aren’t so scrupulous about following laws, or respecting the civil liberties of their citizens?… If, say, Syria’s Bashar Assad had TruePosition’s technology, could he use it to determine who’s participating in anti-government protests?”
TruePosition recognizes the implications of its technology abroad, and tries to stay under the radar, possibly to avoid bad publicity in the event an authoritarian regimes uses its product to root out dissidents or quash a revolt in a sweep of violence. But even if that were to happen, the company would likely point out that other similar technologies are already in play for rogue states and evil dictators. If the technology were banned for sale to certain countries, straw buyers would seem to easily circumvent the restrictions. And privacy laws are different country to country.
Here is TruePosition’s Director of Marketing Brian Varano, giving an overview of the technology, and notably assessing that location based services will be worth an estimated $13 billion in 2014.
Regardless of the pros and cons, we know this much- the technology to track your phone within 150 feet is available on the open market to anyone willing to pay- for better or worse.
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Comments (51)
Brizz
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 12:23pmBig bro passed the E911 requirement under the guise of a public safety tool shortly after 9/11/01. The FCC established a four-year rollout schedule for E911 Phase II, beginning 10/1/01 and to be completed by 12/31/05. This forced wireless carriers to require their customers to upgrade there handset to an E911 capable/trackable device. How old is your phone?
Report Post »Eblaze44
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 7:39pmNot old enough – but it has to be turned on to be tracked. Care to try and figure out how I have over 5,000 minutes, yeah 5,000, on my cell?
Report Post »WakeUp
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:01amEblaze44 It has to be turned on to track? Are you sure?
Report Post »VISITORNUMBER3
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 4:45pmWhy do you think they make those “too good to be true” offers on new phones every year? They want to get the latest and greatest phone in everyone’s hands.
AND they encourage you to “donate” your old phones to “battered women’s shelters”…they even make it quick and convenient by having a donation bin right there in the store !!!
My bet is, these old phones with their pesky, hard to track technology are sent somewhere to be ground to bits…
We wouldn’t want someone to pull out their old analog, hard to track cell phone and be able to use it should we ever have a “national emergency” where the government needs to sieze control of cell service, now would we? No, of course not !!
Report Post »workinghard
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 12:00pmI was in Laredo TX doing mission work for a week. I never used my cell phone other than texts from my daughter back home. For about a week afterwards I kept getting calls from somebody in Mexico. Don’t speak Spanish so it could have been a telemarketing call. Wondered how they got my number.
Report Post »De minimus
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 2:12pmYou didn’t take your battery out of the phone did you? Oh and by the way any use, anywhere, even by little old you, is tracked on or off.
Report Post »TheGreyPiper
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 11:47pmI’ve stocked up on a bunch of older cell phones just because of this. Damned if I’m gonna be on the new system to get those hot updates from Nanny. Can’t turn of the ones from the White House.
I wonder though if some smart feller is gonna come up with an app that can spoof your location, and make it seem like you’re calling from a different cell than where you are? That’s already a common gimmick with computers, you know.
Report Post »Beast1150
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 11:43amOur fine representative government, tracking law biding citizens, shame on you all thinking that this government would infringe on our rights as guarenteed to us by the constitution and the bill or rights. I mean this isn’t post cold war Russia with siberia and all so they have no need for the tracking capabilities in a cell phone…
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 8:28amSo now this will greatly aid the Big Brother and Sister goon squad of the HSA-KGB inc. indeed.
Report Post »Susan09
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 8:37amAbsolutely,,, Anyone at all that knows how can track another hack another and spy on others and work for big brother MAKING US ALL SPY’S ON ONE ANOTHER. I think AS children Most have been called TATTLE TALERS AND IT WAS somethinmg top not be doing YET NOW SPYING ON ONES NEIGHBORS is almost ESSENTIAL. WHY??? because To many CRIMINALS and ALSO with knowledge of the Reality of a True Enemy out there that really does want to destroy americans and Jews well IT IS A VERY SAD AND CHANGED WORLD THEN WE OVER ^) HAVE GROWN UP IN and have believed in . IT IS A VERY SAD DAY when TRUST IS LOST in all that Used to be and Is no more.
Report Post »Corrigenda
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 3:07amPity no one knows Ghaddafi’s cellphone number…..
Report Post »LibertyWon
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 2:52amUntil we can “beam” from one location to another, the cons outweigh the pros of a 24/7 tracking device.
Report Post »Lawlcat001
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 2:44pmthis^
Report Post »christianUSA
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 2:50ambig brother has become little brother or anybody; murderous dictators or hitmen maybe included; therefore worst that 1984 no-thanks phone companies; makes you think about who know your phone number!
Report Post »elphi43
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 12:51amMy friends and I, have already decided, if we want to go off the “grid,” the cell phones are the first to go.
Report Post »WakeUp
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:04amHow about your car? The govt requires embedding of devices in them also now. There is a push to make them GPS enabled also for the purpose of “taxing by the mile”. Taxes aside, once they are GPS enabled they can track them.
Report Post »MrWarrior
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 11:35pmDo in line with Gods way of doing things and don’t worry about it!
Report Post »Slick Willie
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 10:12pmNothing new, This has been around awhile….I’ve seen it in action….Cops (some depts) have this already.
Report Post »dr_funk
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 10:49pmI know a guy who was getting harassed by one particular cop in the local department. One time, when this cop pulled him over to harass him, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed star-55. The cop put him in cuffs in his squad car, and then tore through his truck. A few minutes later, a highway patrol pulled up to see if he needed any assistance, and then promptly chewed out the local cop for harassing him, then made him uncuff him, and let him go.
So, these gps location services are useful. If you don’t want to be tracked, pull the battery.
Report Post »corbecket
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 1:56amYup. It has been around for a long time. Remember how they found OJ before the slow speed chase?
Report Post »Vapor Trail
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 9:28amDR Funk removing the battery only works on older phones. Smart phones and most other models currently in production have a second internal non removable battery. The second battery doesn‘t power the phone but it power’s the GPS tracking.
Report Post »Shielding the phone is the only surefire way of preventing it from being tracked.
GodsPuppet
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 8:20pmRemember that anyone can use this device. The citizens can also track their Reps. and city officials. We could start posting the comings and goings of all officials. We don’t need the visitors logs of the WH visitors. I think this would change the game quickly. God Bless America
Report Post »Paul -Indiana
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 8:09pmRemove the battery and it’s just a paperweight.
Report Post »SonOfaCommunist
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 8:58pmThat‘s why you can’t remove the battery from the iPhone.
Report Post »Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 9:29pmBut you can get a kit to allow you to crack it open and then wire a switch in-line with the battery.
Report Post »dr_funk
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 10:50pmGet a steel box to put it in, then. Radio transmissions can’t beat the laws of physics. Faraday cages are quite useful.
Report Post »babylonvi
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 12:01amThat’s why (among other things) I will never buy an Apple product, they are designed for THEIR benefit, not yours.
Report Post »cobra two
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 8:00pmYou better believe it! They are gonna getcha one way or another.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 9:59pmNot if you buy (cash) throw away phones and never put in your name. If you buy a time (cash)
Report Post »Legal Immigrant
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 7:39pmPlease hang up and try your intrusiveness somewhere else.
Report Post »Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 7:31pmAnd when a nuclear power plant worker changes phones, he gets arrested when he next reports for work. And when terrorists attack a high value target, they just leave their cellphones at home and carry spread spectrum 2-way radioes instead.
And track my phone all you want. It never leaves the kitchen… where it’s plugged into the wall.
Report Post »tomloy
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 7:21pmI am so glad I don’t have a cellphone.
Report Post »STRINGS
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 7:13pmI mean, what could go wrong? the government should be the ones to have sole access to this kind of technology, they are the only ones we can trust, shame on you for thinking any different.
P.S. Don’t forget to take your daily dose of Fluoride and Mercury ^^
Report Post »busterpuddles
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 6:56pmthis lady needs to fire her wardrobe person and her hairdresser. She’s a beautful woman if you can see past the bad job.
Report Post »busterpuddles
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 6:54pmthey can track you with your phone off as well.
Report Post »dr_funk
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 10:53pmNot if you pull the battery. It takes a decent amount of juice to fire off a transmission to the cell tower.
EE here. I know my stuff.
Report Post »Av8tor056
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 11:45pmdr_funk
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 10:53pm
Not if you pull the battery. It takes a decent amount of juice to fire off a transmission to the cell tower.
___________________________________________________________________________________
About 1/3 of a watt. Radio Tech here. And a cell phone is just a radio.
Report Post »lemmings4obama
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 6:33pmHey to you smart techies out there. I only use old cell phones, flip phones that my friends make fun of me for. I‘ve been told it’s the “Thomas Edison throw back model.” lol Do I have to worry about getting tracked if my phone doesn’t have gps capabilities?
Report Post »Common__Sense
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 6:45pmRepeal the Patriot Act, we gave up freedom because of the 9/11 fear.
Report Post »Dougral Supports Israel
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 6:41pmMy phone is off most of the time – track away!
Report Post »Paul -Indiana
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 8:10pmPop-out the battery and you would be ok.
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 6:37pmThe government using technology to spy on U.S citizens no way they wouldn’t dream of it.Ha ha ha they do it all the time & have been for years,and since the patriot act they don’t need a warrant.
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 6:34pmI don’t have a cell phone….therefore can’t track me…HEE HEE..
Report Post »blue_sky
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 6:34pmIf only the government respected our privacy guaranteed by the Constitution without recording our phone calls, Internet urls, chatrooms, GPS coordinates, etc. Central planners at the top are not only plan economy and money supply, but monitor our every move. We need RON PAUL to shrink the government to the constitutional size.
Report Post »Gripes
Posted on July 18, 2011 at 6:31pmA stalker’s dream.
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