GPS Vehicle Tracking

The advances in technology make it easier and easier today to misues these devices and massively invade someones privacy.  There is also technology to reclaim some of that privacy back as well, althought some of it may be illegal.  This article talks about some of that techology and how it works.  Read on for more.

Due to the fact that GPS vehicle tracking devices are essentially the same thing as other surveillance devices, many people are arguing the legality of them. Additionally, since there are anti-surveillance devices like spoofers and jammers available, many people question whether the data provided by a GPS tracking device can be considered legally valid.

In courts, judges are debating whether the data is admissible or not, and are also frequently called upon to decide if the data was even gathered legally or not. Some attorneys even argue that the data is no longer reliable because a known effort was made to block it, spoof it or jam it. However, proponents of GPS devices claim it's not fair to rule out all GPS data just because some of it might have been meddled with.

To get a grasp of the situation, one must understand the types of obstructive devices. A detector, for example, does no more than warn you that someone is following you with a GPS tracking device. Ergo: its data should be admissible since at worst it would have no information to provide if it didn't work. The fact that there is data means it worked.

GPS jammers create gaps in the real-time data as it's being collected, but since each time the GPS device checks its location on the satellite it gets a reading that is fresh and independent of any other readings, the data that does not get jammed should be accurate.

GPS spoofers are the worst, because they transmit incorrect data, giving a false impression of where the vehicle is. However, spoofers work globally in a region, messing up all the GPS data for the area, and not specifically the GPS device intended. If police suspect a spoofer is being used, other GPS data can be gathered to compare it to. If all the data is nonsense, then a spoofer was used; but if the rest of it is ok, a spoofer could be ruled out and the data gathered should be trustworthy.

It would not be right to outlaw vehicle tracking systems in general because many companies and individuals have excellent, aboveboard reasons to be using them. The anti-GPS devices should not be made illegal either, unless they cause public safety concerns.

Article by Gene Simons, owner of the Vehicle Tracking Site, a guide to real-time and passive GPS vehicle tracking devices.

More on GPS Privacy and Vehicle Tracking:

GPS Jammers. What Do They Really Do?

Many Vehicle GPS Jammer's work by plugging them into the Cigarette lighter of a vehicle. Signals from other electronic devices such as cell phone, wifi, laptop, tv, etc are not interfered with. With this unit just plug in and play. ...

Publish Date: 11/08/2007