GPS Tracking by Cell Phone; Advanced Enough for Court System?
Points to Consider When Choosing a GPS Tracking Solution
- Cell phone tracking is often more approximate than exact. Tower location might be used to determine cell phone location.
- Usually the phone user’s whereabouts cannot be tracked unless he or she has agreed to the trace by signing up for the service, has the right (Internet-enabled) cell phone in the right wireless network.
- Depending on the cell phone type, GPS tracking might be disabled when the phone is turned off.
- Reception could be patchy or non-existent if the cell battery is low or the vehicle travels through certain topography.
- Most cell-based GPS tracking services do not provide travel history, at least not with the detail and accuracy of a traditional GPS tracking device.
GPS Cell Phone Tracking Doesn’t Quite Measure Up
There’s no question GPS tracking technology will crop up more and more in legal cases. GPS cell phone locating equipment thus far seems to be lacking as good, hard evidence at trial.
Using GPS cell phone locating in a court case is similar to turning in a poorly-written research paper at school. It’s not absolutely convincing, but lacking anything better, even a little helps.
Consider the comments of a blogger who recently contributed to an online debate about home-based “land lines.” A Washington Post writer asked if the home phone number has become obsolete, due to the wide use of cell phones.
“I’m afraid to cancel [local phone service] altogether because cell phones are not always reliable,” wrote “MCLADY1009. “If you forget to charge, if you don’t have a signal, or if your phone malfunctions in some kind of way (which cell phones DO from time to time), in an emergency you are out of options. Where I live, cell phone service is sometimes hit-or-miss…”
One would assume a suspected offender or a crime victim would not want their futures to hang on the GPS readings of a cell phone either.
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Tags: Cell Phone Tracking, GPS, GPS Tracking, phone gps tracking, Vehicle Tracking
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