posted on Apr, 20 2011 @ 11:52 AM
The FCC requires by law ALL cell phones be equipped with GPS tracking capabilities that can pinpoint a phone to within 300 feet of it's location
(some say 100 feet). The law went into effect 2001, as part of the E911 system.
Sad to say, but this tracking business is nothing new.
Your Cell Phone Is Watching You
Newer phones (like the iPhone) have taken it a step further by allowing the customer to use their phone to locate themselves, get driving directions,
etc. ("find yourself" on iPhone for instance). several other apps are designed to allow you to track your friends IRL. Google does it too with their
android OS.
Apple is not a cell phone carrier, they use AT&T for that (in the USA at least). There are probably tweaks out there than can remove these
timestamps/lat-long. But the feds don't need them, they can go right to the source, AT&T. Of course in state like MI, CA, TX, and NJ the police can
search your cell phone following a simple traffic stop, so having this type of detailed information residing in your phone could be a major
concern.
IMO they don't really enhance anything as far as the police are concerned, they already had the means to track you. Back in 2009 Sprint complained it
was overwhelmed by law enforcement requests for customer information, 8 million requests that year alone, according to the EFF. How many do you think
AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc., etc., etc. received? Half the population is probably being tracked...
See:
Orwellian Justice system (bibliotecapleyades.net)
Surveillance Shocker: Sprint Received 8 MILLION Law Enforcement Requests for GPS Location Data in
the Past Year (eff.org)