Those of us who own cell phones know how helpful they can be with all the features they offer. From the calls, texting, games, camera, mp3, internet and now GPS, a cell phone is a convenient tool to have. While most of these features are great, GPS is one that raises controversy. The FCC requires that by the end of 2005 all cell phone carriers must be able to trace the location of cell phone calls to within a range of no more than 100 meters (King). For most cell phone companies, this information can only be accessed by emergency personnel, but now companies are using this feature to market new services to monitor where the user’s phone (and hence, the user) is at all times.

I think that the ability for emergency personnel to locate someone who may be in trouble or distress and is unable to provide their location quickly is a great use of GPS technology in phones. But I am uneasy with the idea of being located through my cell phone by the general public. Once this technology is “out there” and being marketed, it is not a far reach to think that hackers or other unsavory technophiles could access these services and find me. Some of the biggest spenders in the IT world (banks, software firms, the U.S. military, etc.) find their servers being hacked into and I don’t think of cell phone companies as being as secure as these types of companies. I find this technology, falling into the wrong hands, frankly creepy.

In the editorial Technology vs. Privacy – Our Orwellian Future, the writer supports unrestricted development of technology and that it is up to society to decide how to appropriately use this technology (John P). The key question here is “who in society decides what ‘appropriate’ use is?” As I stated above, this question and the question of “how secure are the systems providing personal location technology?” are my key reasons to be leery of this “service”.

There are many different services that take advantage of this new technology. One of the new services being offered in cell phones that use GPS tracking is Mologogo. Mologogo is an application which uses GPS to show users where their friends are — in real time (Charles). This means that your location can be seen by your friends and they will always be able to check what you are up to. Conversely, you can see where all your friends are in the network. While I don’t hide much from my friends, I would feel uncomfortable thinking that any one of my friends at any time would be able to log on a computer and see where I was. I think this feature is very unnecessary because if one of my friends were interested in where I was, he or she should feel comfortable enough to pick up the phone and call me.

The good thing with this type of service is it is voluntary; you choose to participate or not, so I don’t have a problem with this service. I would simply choose not to participate. But again, who monitors the security of such a system? These companies are in the business of making money from a new technology. That’s great. But how much effort will they expend on ensuring the safety of its customers? This would be a good time to think about their liability in the case of a hacker getting into the system, finding someone they want to kidnap and doing so.

Another system that begins treading on invasion of privacy is GPS tracking for children’s phones. This service leaves the decision up to the parents to decide whether or not to use this technology and their children typically don’t have a say because they don’t pay the cell phone bill. Parents can sign up for services such as Sprint Family Locator, Disney Mobile, and Verizon Wireless Chaperone that enable them to look up a cell phone’s location online (Hipolit). Most of these systems don’t require the parents to inform the child that they are being tracked at all times.

Again, as with most technologies, there are pros and cons involved. For example, should a child be kidnapped or otherwise taken against their will, the logical conclusion is that it would be great to have the phone in the child’s possession and be able to track them to a safe rescue. However, realistically speaking, those criminals interested in abducting children are probably going to be informed enough that they would know to search and get rid of a child’s cell phone in this situation. So the utility of this “feature” quickly becomes useless.

On the other hand, using a GPS tracking service allows parents to track the whereabouts of their children which would seem like a comfort to most parents, but likely seen as intrusive by the children being tracked. Especially as they get older and value their privacy. Tracking services like this seem unnecessary to me because it shows the parents don’t have any trust in their children. This service provides yet another tool for parents who hover around to “help” and “monitor” their children’s activities to such an extent that the kids never make their own decisions, some that will be mistakes in judgment of course, but necessary in learning how to grow up.

The main benefit of GPS tracking in cell phones is for use in emergency situations. I think it is perfectly reasonable for 911 personnel to be able to access the location of a call just like they are able to do with land lines. I am not in favor of companies marketing this service because I think it is intrusive and prone to hacking and misuse which makes it a potential danger to cell phone users. Limiting the use to only emergency use at least keeps the ability for misuse minimized. Opening up this service does not make sense to me at all.

Resources:

King, Anne. GPS Cell Phones. All GPS Tracking. 3/10/2006. 4/18/09.

P., John. Technology vs. Privacy- Our Orwellian Future. One Man’s Blog. 10/4/06. 4/18/09.

Charles, Dan. GPS is Smartening Up Your Cell Phone. npr. 9/25/06. 4/18/09.

Hipolit, Melissa J. GPS Technology Helps Parents Track Teens. News hour Extra. 2/19/07. 4/18/09.

Best Value:

#1. Nitty Gritty- The Nitty Gritty is a restaurant and bar for all ages. This restaurant serves mainly burgers and sandwich type foods all around ten dollars. This is a favorite location because of their birthday special. If you can prove it is your birthday with an ID, you can enjoy complimentary soda or beer all night. The location of the Nitty Gritty, on N. Frances Street, adds to the popularity because it is conveniently located downtown Madison and is the closest restaurant to the Kohl center.

#2. Ian’s Pizza- Until 2:30am, when Ian’s Pizza closes on a Friday or Saturday, a line can be seen going out of the restaurant and down the street. The popularity of this restaurant is due to its late night hours and unusual kinds of pizza. The most popular flavors are the macaroni and cheese pizza, the chicken alfredo, and the barbeque chicken pineapple. When you walk in the restaurant, you can see all the pizza flavors out on the counter so you are able to see the unusual kinds of pizza available. This restaurant is located in two different locations downtown so Ian’s Pizza tends to be a convenient stop on the way home at night and piece of pizza for under four dollars makes a cheap late night snack.

#3. Chipotle- A popular Mexican grill located on State Street is Chipotle. This fast food chain serves a variety of burritos and tacos that they make right in front of you. This location has a very casual and social environment. A typical meal ranges from six to nine dollars.

#4. Mia Za’s- If a student was interested in some Italian food, Mia Za’s would be a popular choice. It has a variety of pastas, pizzas, peninis and salads. Instead of simply picking an entrée from a menu, when you enter the restaurant, you fill out a sheet of paper and you can create your dish any way you want. They then prepare your creation so everything is hot and fresh. This restaurant is a great value because you get a large serving for not a lot of money.

#5. Frida Mexican Grill- A more upscale choice for a student in the Madison area is Frida Mexican Restaurant. It is also located on State Street to make it convenient to students without transportation. This location is popular for its Mexican food and especially its different types of margaritas. Although the restaurant is more upscale, the prices are still reasonable with most entrees around ten to fifteen dollars.

#6. Taco Bell- Another classic late night spot for students is Taco Bell. This fast food Mexican restaurant is located on State Street so it is in the center of everything and the fact that it is open until two or three in the morning makes it convenient for students to stop by anytime. This restaurant makes one of the top ten student’s favorites because of its really low prices along with the large selection of Mexican food.

Worst Value:

#1. Muramoto- Muramoto is a more fancy restaurant located in downtown Madison. It serves all types of Japanese food and it is especially popular for it’s sushi. This restaurant is number one on the worst value because even though the food looks fancy, you only recieve small portions of food for the high price.

#2. Ocean Grill- Ocean Grill is another overpriced location in Madison. This restaurant serves fresh seafood, but for a meal the price is around twenty dollars.

This ad is really effective because it does not rely on humor.