Personal Tracking Device with Cell Phones
Cell phones have come a long way – regardless
of whether you’re a business person or stay-at-home mom, having
a cell phone with you is no longer a privilege – it’s a NECESSITY.
In this modern technology age, the cell phone has progressed
from being just your average communication device. The cell
phone is now also a personal organizer, diary, calculator,
timer, alarm clock, emailing device, faxing equipment, news
reporter, etc.
In times of emergency, a cell phone
can and will definitely prove to be a life-saver and 14-year-old
Kelly Emerson can attest to that. Getting lost in a jungle
is no fun for the teen. But thanks to her careful and wary
mom, Kelly took a cell phone with her and when she got lost
in the jungle, the cell phone she had with her saved her life.
Within 3 hours, they found her hanging to her cell phone and
praying. Wet, crying, hungry – but safe!
The Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) recently suggested that communication companies work
harder to incorporate a location pinpointing device and technology
on cell phones so that call receivers can check the location
of the caller in times of emergency. For people like Kelly
Emerson, the cell phone saved her life – but with an advancement
of technology, the caller or owner of the cell phone may not
even need to be awake or conscious in order for others to
detect their location. Well, there are pros and cons to that
kind of technology, and currently, this recommendation has
come under fire and is under a lot of debate today. People
are not keen on turning their cell phones into personal tracking
devices because of very obvious reasons – it’s a form of intrusion
into their personal lives. And instead of saving lives, cell
phones with this ability may even become a threat. Let’s say,
a murderous husband is trying to track down a runaway wife
and is able to detect her location via her cell phone.
While individuals are quite confused
about this new cell phone technology, large corporations are
more than happy to welcome this new cell phone technological
advancement. Imagine…with this personal tracking device installed
into their customers’ cell phones, companies can locate the
customers via their cell phones. If the customer is within
the vicinity of their outlet, they can instantly send messages
or make calls to that customer!
However, telecommunication companies
are stumped on whether this new cell phone feature should
be incorporated into future cell phones. Like the Internet,
privacy is a huge problem. Personal information is big in
the data-mining business, but so is privacy.
We’ll just have to see how far cell
phone companies are willing to go to make their bucks!
Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla
lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.cellphone-source.com
on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of
this article.
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