Thursday, February 2, 2012

GPS, Google and Facebook, Tracking Your Life


In today’s day and age technology is constantly upgrading itself.  Some of the most recent advances in technology have been in the GPS and internet browser fields.
Recently, GPS systems have been hopping off the shelves for many different reasons, some legal some illegal.  The reasons range from jealous spouses to police surveillance, but how can we decide whether or not it is an invasion of personal space to watch someone’s every step without a warrant? 
Yes, these new advances in GPS tracking could definitely help police forces all across America make arrests, but not everyone is using these GPS systems legally.  It is controversial because although GPS systems are made for good use, they could be used illegally by stalkers and criminals alike.
One of the better uses of the new GPS systems are in Wisconsin where Winnebago county uses Fleet GPS Tracking to follow where their salt and snowplow trucks are when snow falls.  The Fleet Tracking system also allows the county to know how much of each kind of salt was used to help clear the roads.  This use of GPS tracking is genius because it helps the county understand how much salt they use and it allows them to follow their workers so that they know that the workers are doing their job (http://www.fieldtechnologies.com/fleet-tracking-system-helps-keep-winnebago-roads-clear-in-winter/).
Along with the new technology in GPS, Google has made new technology that literally knows the user.  It will be able to tell anyone the answer to their search according to their preferences.  This means that Google will know as much about you as your spouse.  It seems a little too personal to some but in some ways this new way of searching could assist the user greatly.  Google will now have the power to track all of your searches and use them to more accurately know you specifically.
Not only is Google making you more available to the public, but Facebook is moving towards making it easier to see people’s profile with less privacy settings.  Facebook claims it is for sharing purposes, but companies are using it to look at employees to make sure they are worthy of a job.  I actually had a teacher in high school who was fired for the Youtube videos she had online.
The question remains, are these advances an invasion of your personal space?  It is difficult to say because with a little investigative work, you can find out a lot about someone off of the internet with the current privacy settings.

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