ARCHIVED CONTENT
You are viewing ARCHIVED CONTENT released online between 1 April 2010 and 24 August 2018 or content that has been selectively archived and is no longer active. Content in this archive is NOT UPDATED, and links may not function.By Andrew Hinkes
Whether we know it or not, our mobile devices betray us at every step. Our beloved smartphones and tech-laden cars with their turn-by-turn mapping capabilities are enabled by GPS. Regardless of where it is implemented, GPS both sends and receives a traceable signal to a satellite that provides the accurate maps information to the devices we have all come to rely upon. The price of that accurate guidance is that your GPS device tells the satellite where to send the data, and by extension, where you are located. So, if you are using any kind of GPS — whether it’s in your car, your smartphone, camera, jogger’s watch, golf ball, key finder, luggage, pet tag, shoes, or your laptop – someone can track you too. As I’ll discuss below, if you are using those voluntarily, the government can do it without a warrant.