[PW] GPS

[John Sleasman]

Rboconoresq at aol.com wrote:
>      Wait a minute--I've always thought that GPS devices were only for the 
> purpose of giving the driver information as to how to get from point "A" to 
> point "B."  I have never heard that they are devices placed in cars to track them.
>   
This is rapidly getting beyond the original question into broader 
issues. But to summarize (and much of this has already been stated):

1. Basic GPS devices are passive receivers that download timing signal 
information from satellites and use it to determine your position. Then, 
depending on what software they contain and computer chips they use, or 
what computers they are connected to, they can provide you with maps, 
directions, etc. All of which are based on the local device.

2. Cell phone companies, whether they use GPS or other 
tower-triangulation technology, can pass location information along to 
emergency services, if their phones/devices and networks are so 
equipped. This has been a requirement in the United States since 2005, 
with certain limitations. Cell phone companies can also integrate that 
location with various additional services, such as provision of 
information about local restaurants, attractions, etc., for which they 
presumably earn advertising revenue or additional fees from users. And, 
edging into the next paragraph, the information also allows them to sell 
services under family plans to allow parents to monitor the location of 
their children's phones.

3. In addition to passive GPS devices, active devices can transmit 
information to various providers. As noted, the "bells and whistles" 
vehicle services transmit location information to the appropriate 
service centers, and are in two-way communication with the vehicle. This 
allows the service center to know where you are and give you 
information, such as the nearest movie theater information in a U.S. 
television commercial this summer. Information transmission is implicit 
in your purchase of a car and the service.

4. Commercial firms make extensive use of two-way locator technology. 
Truck company dispatch centers (and many other companies for at least 
portions of their fleets) are in constant communication to identify 
potential delivery issues, driver problems, etc. Some unions and 
individual drivers have problems with this, but most have accepted it as 
a technological advance, rather than invasion of privacy. [Sidenote: My 
daughter and son-in-law recently moved. Thanks to the GPS capability of 
the moving van, they were able to get phone notices from the company as 
to when the driver would arrive, allowing them to leave work 
appropriately. The driver was off - by about 2 minutes - a lot more 
efficient process for everyone than the old "probably sometime on 
Thursday afternoon"  estimate for interstate moves.] In a slightly 
different mode, yes, that same information is often available to rental 
car companies, as fleets are being equipped with two-way GPS capability. 
That does indeed allow the company to monitor the car's location, 
including whether any geographical restrictions on rental have been 
violated. When you sign the rental contract, language to the effect that 
the company may have so equipped the car and allowing them to access 
your use is included. Your option is to find another rental car company 
that doesn't have two-way GPS in its fleet - a process that will be 
increasingly harder.

5. You then move down into the ability to put a "bug" on a car (or 
anything else) to track third-party non-contract usage. That starts to 
go into the illegal edge (or to divorce court). True, at some point you 
get into the realm of spy movies and Hollywood "reality," but it is 
theoretically possible for a stalker to track this way. As already 
noted, it's more likely that the black helicopters will pose you 
problems. But in any case, any transmitter is subject to detection 
and/or jamming, if you are concerned or paranoid enough to spend the 
time and effort on it.