For example, location monitoring can make it easier to identify local eateries or rent an Uber. However, an increasing number of individuals are concerned about the other side of location tracking: the possibility that Google or other firms may be able to follow your every step.
Advantages of location tracking
One of the most important benefits of having GPS tracking on your phone is that it helps emergency services to quickly locate you in the event of an emergency. Triangulation was formerly used by emergency services to determine callers’ locations by assessing signal strength from mobile towers. This is time-consuming and less precise than GPS tracking.
When you leave your brand new €1,000 phone on the train or if it is stolen, tracking can help you find it. Many high-end cell phones now include GPS receivers that can trace a lost handset. They can also give real-time location updates for the phone. The gadget can continue to emit its tracking signal as long as it is operational and charged until you catch up with it.
You may use the same technique to keep track of your children or other family members. If you’re concerned about your youngster or an elderly relative becoming separated from you, GPS tracking lets you to know where they are at all times.
People aren’t the only ones that use GPS tracking equipment. They’re also in a lot of modern automobiles, and they let you track your car’s whereabouts from afar. Furthermore, these systems can immediately summon assistance in the event of an accident and allow remote operators to unlock your vehicle if you misplace or lock your keys inside.
Many social networking apps employ location monitoring to give information about friends in the region, making it easier to find and meet up with them. Google Maps, for example, includes a function that allows people to track your progress during a trip. The Glympse app allows users to reveal their position for a set amount of time, which should prevent stalkers from abusing the program. There’s also Apple’s Find My Pals program, which allows users to share their location with friends on a permanent basis.
Disadvantages of location tracking
Users using GPS trackers can share their whereabouts with friends and family, but they might also mistakenly share their location with stalkers. This is especially harmful for youngsters, because certain applications allow nearly anybody to follow their position. Parents should always place limitations on their children’s use of applications that allow them to add followers, and consider barring any apps that do not offer this option.
Companies can also use location trackers to provide tailored advertisements. That isn’t all, though. Many firms now employ location tracking to track you all the time, allowing them to construct a profile of your activities that they can sell to ads. Some individuals are unconcerned with advertisements knowing where they are and what they are doing. Advertisers aren’t the only ones who can track you if you’re not diligent with your privacy settings. Potential thieves gain thorough knowledge of your daily itinerary by “checking in” at sites while performing errands.
Mobile phone providers were selling real-time user location information to data brokers, according to a recent report from the United States. The material was subsequently sold to police enforcement and others, bypassing the “inconvenient” formality of obtaining a court order. Not only criminals should be concerned about this; data brokers may be selling your location data to anybody. The phone companies claim to have put a stop to it.
Most security experts believe that blocking location monitoring on your smartphone or through its applications is nearly hard. Many apps, in fact, will not function without location monitoring. Some argue that this is one of the reasons why we should embrace location sharing. Others think that this indicates that it has gotten out of hand. The advantages are expected to outweigh the hazards for the vast majority of individuals. It is important to switch off your phone’s location-sharing functions if you are attempting to hide from bullies, stalkers, creeps, or Johnny law.