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GPS-Enabled Phones Let Parents Know For Sure Where Their Children Are |
Listed in: Tags: gaming accessories, parents, privacy
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The next time you ask parents if they know where their children are, don't be surprised if they answer "yes" with great confidence. Chances are they have been introduced to the wonders of Global Positioning System (GPS). With the technology, parents no longer worry when their children don't call home or answer the phone. It's a great way to catch kids or teens who have the habit of lying about their whereabouts. Well, as long as the phone is not turned off or thrown away, then parents are in total control.While parents are happy with the solution, privacy advocates have raised concerns that GPS-enable phones can become dangerous when they fall into the wrong hands. Hackers can easily locate the device and subsequently track a child. We know how sexual predators can be.
GPS was originally designed for military use, but it has become an indispensable part of all navigational systems, from passenger jets to family minivans. Lately, it has become a weapon of choice to outwit, err, monitor the kids. The kids today are running around to several activities in a day and it becomes harder to get in touch. If you have four kids, it's a nightmare.
Several companies have been banking on this "need" and have released several kid-branded phones in the market. LG has the small green handset called Migo. Though it comes with a GPS chip, it's not set up for easy location monitoring. Cingular has the Firefly. It doesn't have a GPS chip but has a parent-programmable phone book. Disney Mobile has joined the frenzy with the release of phones with a generous helping of parental controls, the most controversial of which is the Family Locator. It pinpoints the phone's position using GPS. Sprint Nextel has its Spring Family Locator launched in April.
This August, GPS pioneer Wherify will be back in the scene and release Wherifone, an easy-to-use GPS locator with only five buttons. Unlike the upcoming Disney Mobile phone, the Wherifone does not permit downloads or offer entertainment.
Next thing we know, there'll be an onslaught of GPS-enabled device flooding the market. But we'd like to believe that parents know what they are buying. The danger facing parents is that kids might grow up believing that tracking their every move is a normal part of life. But then again if a teen really doesn't want to be tracked, he or she can just turn off the phone. Or the more rebellious ones can leave their phones on at a friend's house and party somewhere else.
Via News Factor
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