Blink,

Are you sure you aren't talking about the E911 capable phones that are common today? The newer phones that say that on the side are for 911 emergency location.
Is that what you are talking about?

John

A lot of cell phones come with GPS built in, and that includes the tracking. It's helpful for 911 service, I guess, and maybe to figure out where the car is that you're locked inside the trunk of.

You could also track your kids for a fee.

I have an Omnia from Verizon. They're pretty awful about letting you use the GPS (You have to pay more and use their software). However, it still tracks for Verizon's purposes. There are settings in the OS to turn that off if you like.

A mapping program can also figure out your approximate location based on the nearby cell towers.

Rob Mack

Don't worry. Just remove the battery when you are home.

some people use the GPS. Since you're in construction, image how usefull that would be when trying to find a location to go too. Some peopel I know use their phone for GPS vs a gps device.

Blink is correct. The fact is all smartphones today can easily generate gps locations without needing 4 sat signals. cell towers can be use generate up to 2 of 4 sat signals for a 3 point location. It can be done with less but the accuracy drops off.

Blink, concern they locate your "inspection locations" or "clubs"? ;-)

If your local government is anything like my state governement, you have nothing to fear... they won't even know that feature/ability is in the phone until about 6 years after you have had the phone and one of the people who has one loses it. That is when the person who made the purchase request will track down who turned in the purchase order at which time that person will contact the sales associate for government contracts and ask to have a replacement. Then and only then will the person who placed the purchase order be informed of the "features" of the old phone and be asked if they want to add to the feature set- which happens to include gps tracking. This person will then consult the person who made the purchase request who will consult their boss on the option to "upgrade" and they will show them the list of what they currently have and the list of features of what they can get for a slightly higher price. At this point the boss may say one of three things:

1. Hmm. GPS? Isn't that Gross Pragmatic Spending?

2. They won't even notice it as it is initials and bosses in government positions have been trained to tune out initials as that is the world they live in and they must pretend to know each and every one.

3. They will see it and want to know how to use it. But even if this option is on the table, they will still have to take it before a committee who will have to decide whether they have any potential to be sued for implementing such a system and then they have to justify hiring 8 people to monitor the gps signals and in light of the recent economic situation, this will be hard to do if it ever comes to the public's attention. What is more, they have to pay people who actually know how to use the internet and know what gps means.

So, I say all that to say this: don't worry about it.

j razz

"Blink, concern they locate your "inspection locations" or "clubs"? ;-)"

Yeah... the strip clubs!
Actually I can't remember the last time I was in one of those... in my teen years I guess... which seems to feel like 2 or 3 centuries ago.

Well... as it stands right now with the gps thing... there are certain privacy laws that must be followed so the Gov is being VERY careful about this. Right now they're merely ASKING us to sign waivers and permissions to turn the tracking features on. We have 3 different Unions in our organization and they're ALL down there at head office pounding desks over this issue. Which way it will go is anybody's guess but needless to say we've been told not to sign anything until the dust settles and they work this out.

I think maybe the next time I'm on the roof of a high rise though, I may just let it slip and see if it bounces or splinters :)

you only get new features, and you don't have the option to NOT get them. Look at cell phone cameras. Can't get one w/o a camera now. Can't get a music player that just plays music, they all do something else too. Can't get a video camera that just takes great images, you need a billion hookups & buttons.

a union where I work is having fits over the security cameras. Why? Because they could (COULD) be used to check & see if staff is working when they should be. But why is the union worried? Because they're smoking on public school property & leaving early.

Really, if you're an honest worker it wouldn't matter if the GPS is on or not. It's no different then then the union saying they can't have a maintenance crew check the odometers on the trucks because then it could be used to see if you're going places besides work sites. It's not an invasion of privacy when it's on THEIR time. Technically, if you're not doing what they want you to do, you're steeling as they're paying you to do a job & if you're not doing the job & still taking the $$, that's stealing.

The plan is to definitely track you. Make sure they are getting their money's worth. Been in place in truck/car fleets in the US for several years.

I don't have a problem with cams on the street, so they can find out who may have car jacked me.

Not that much different than my office tracking my web surfing on their laptop I use. I just use another PC.

You just need to forget to take your phone with you a lot.

"Wow...honestly that's scary. Why would they need that? To see if people are doing their jobs? "

I would guess so. I can't say I really blame them though. We are not an office building or anything like that where you can be checked up on/meet with a simple walk down the hall. We're spread out from one end of our Province to the other with thousands of buildings in the cities, the rurals as well as the far North. We work out of about 250 satellite offices with one head office. An employee can (and some in fact do) disappear for days on end and not be noticed. I know one guy that actually took an unofficial week off.... and didn't get caught!

"An employee can (and some in fact do) disappear for days on end and not be noticed. I know one guy that actually took an unofficial week off.... and didn't get caught!"

There you go. Now you have to carry a phone that shows you on a map of the country at all times!

"Either way... I don't think I'll even feel private anymore while sitting all alone on the crapper with the door closed."

That worries you, imagine taking a dump in this toilet.

Would you / could you even walk into this bathroom.

As it turns out the first one is an art installation, the second is PS job entered in a competition. Wierd timing that someone emailed them to me just this morning.

Bob.

That's hilarious Bob!

I love it. Ha Ha.

John

The first one reminds me of a dream I had once. The second one is very creative painting - cool:-)
lili