In the articles I have read this weekend, I found many that talked about mobile GPS. I found few articles taking about security concerns regarding mobile phone GPS (companies collecting where you go, bad people may able to find out where your family are, etc). I know that introduction of iPhone and Blackberry and other smart phones, having GPS on your cell phone in America has become more common, but in my country, it's been around for quite awhile. For my impression, it seems that mobile GPS gave us more security than threatened our security.
One thing that had become common in my country is parents monitoring where the kids are using mobile GPS. Most children in Tokyo gets their first cell phone as they enter 1st grade, and parents make sure they get home safe, or they are not in a dangerous place by using mobile GPS. Same for elders. It was a huge problem in my country that many Alzheimer patients wonder around the town and forgetting how to get home (or not even realizing they are wondering around), their families were able to find them because of cell phone that was hanging from their neck.
Above are just a few of examples, but having GPS on mobile phones could help us in security issues. Articles I read talked about people are afraid because companies could collect data or stranger could obtain your information, but when GPS is used on your cell phones, it always asks if you allow the information to be sent somewhere else. People could make choice in whether they want to share information, or they could simply turn off the GPS on their phone if you prefer it. Like any other technology, there will be always a security issues, but I believe it could be more beneficial for us than give us harm.
What Harry Means to Me
12 years ago
You have a good point here. There are a lot of great uses for it. Less security, but more of the advertising implications that I was wondering about. Another kid in our class Ben Jardines compared it to the movie Minority Report in terms of all the ads that could get annoying
ReplyDeleteWow that's a great point you bring up. In the cell phone GPS discussion, you only hear the negatives. Rarely do you hear about the positive sides of it. It provides more perspective on the issue.
ReplyDeleteSooner or later people are all going to have tiny radio frequency identifier chips stuck in them at birth.. Constant GPS--but only with a court order ; )
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. GPS functions should be optional, not mundatory. That's the best way we use GPS efficiently without complaint about privacy issue.
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