Mini GPS Systems - Invention to Mainstream Usage

Author: brdsecurity | Posted: 17.02.2012

GPS tracking devices have come along way since they first came out. Ronald Reagan pushed for the development of the Global Positioning System after a Korean Airlines flight was shot down over Russia killing the 269 civilians on board. It was shot down because it had drifted into Russian airspace and during the Cold War times the Russians had to be cautious about what flew at their country without warning.

Twelve billion dollars in taxpayer money has been spent developing the GPS service. There are two channels that GPS provides for. The military channel is extremely precise and fast and is reserved for military use. The civilian channel is less accurate and is not as fast due to high usage of the system thanks to mobile phones and other GPS devices carried in cars, boats and airplanes. Phones can be traced by GPS position and return accurate locations to authorities. Also, certain software allows tracking by GPS to tell where the target has traveled. This can be used to monitor people.

Last year it was found that iPhones and other devices using iOS software were tracking the whereabouts of all devices by default without their knowledge. This caused Apple to push an update that disabled this feature by default after the issue of privacy was brought to the attention of the public. The people who discovered the data file containing all the GPS locations stored in the phone created a program to find and display the contents clearly listing where they had traveled with the phone on. It appeared it was tracking for as long as the phone was owned. The GPS locations were plotted to a map in the program so the user could see where they had been.

This is a proof-of-concept that GPS tracking can be very effective in finding out or recording a person's whereabouts. By planting a GPS tracking device on a person, you will be able to tell when and where someone traveled and reconstruct their movements to a high degree of accuracy. With GPS tracking you can tell what time they left their house, what their first stop was, and how long they stayed there. This information can reveal a lot about a person and can surely clear up or add to any suspicions.

A cheating spouse, for instance, could possibly be spending large amounts of time away from work, home, and other familiar places. By following from a distance, you are able to see exactly where they go and stay. Or perhaps you want to keep track of your child or teenager. By putting a GPS tracker in their backpack you will be able to see where they go after school, or if they even go to school in the first place. Of course putting a GPS tracker on someone other than a family member can be highly unethical and illegal. This would be considered to be taking away their privacy. Similar to how the government isn't allowed to track a person or wiretap someone's phone without a warrant.

About Author:
BRD Security is a write for Spybase.com the premiere providers of all manner of spy equipment, including mini gps trackers and surveillance gear.

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