GPS, a private manner?

            Global positioning technology is a double-edged sword. Yes, these systems do offer the beneficial possibilities of satellite tracking of senior citizens diagnosed with dementia,  monitoring of teenage drivers, and, most commonly, navigational assistance, but one cannot ignore the controversies caused by these incredibly powerful locating devices. Is it right for the police to track a potential criminal without their consent? Is it right for employers to track their employees? This is where society needs to further its knowledge regarding GPS tracking capabilities and establish guidelines for deciding when GPS tracking is right and and when it is wrong.

            Society should recognize the purposeful and reasonable uses of GPS. For example, it is sensible and beneficial for a shipping company to track its employees and vehicles to ensure that cargo reaches its destination in a timely and efficient manner. However,it is improper and unnecessary for that same company to track its employees while they are not working; doing so is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment guards an individual's right against unreasonable searches and seizures without a judicially sanctioned search warrant. Without a warrant, tracking is an illegal and negative implementation of these advanced GPS technologies. That being said, when used by police officers or private investigative companies, GPS technologies used on potential criminals should be used only with the permission of our country's judicial system. Although GPS tracking has become a controversial subject, there are justifiable uses for it that society can and should utilize, as long as citizens' Fourth Amendment rights are not breached.

            Advancing the use of GPS and making its location-based information more relevant in society could potentially advance the human race into a much more interconnected species. By incorporating GPS into rising technologies, applications can be made that are beneficial to many individuals. For example, the Corning's projected advanced glass interfaces, one application of which is to associates glass displays at shopping malls and then make connections with one's location and offer shopping tips, current styles, news, and even coupons, all through one device. These glass interfaces promise digital supplementation to daily human activity by providing connections to one's world at speeds impossible to achieve via simple human interaction. 

            Though GPS technology does have its negative uses, its positive uses should never be abandoned. As long as society continues to further its knowledge of GPS technology while avoiding invasions of privacy, GPS will become an important part of our lives in the future. Integrated in future technologies, GPS technology will be able to provide society with location-based information in a useful way that can be used to help their businesses, their interests, their travels, their safety, their family and pets, and their daily lives. In order to make these possibilities a reality, all that is required is an open mind and a formal understanding of our private rights.


Sources and links for extra reading!:
The use of GPS is growing! Some examples are listed here. Are they positive or negative?
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/01/30/2004703/personal-use-of-gps-trackers-growing.html

GPS doesn't affect you? Do you use Google or Facebook? They are digitally tracking you!
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/25/privacy-one-step-forward/

Is the Fourth Amendment worth defending even when GPS evidence shows the man is guilty?
http://www.phoenixcriminallawlawyer.com/2012/01/supreme-court-warrantless-gps-tracking-violated-fourth-amendment.shtml

Are employers right by tracking their employees? It's an efficient way of making sure responsibilities are being performed efficiently, but is there a need for at least some worker privacy rights?
http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/5286/using-gps-tracking-devices-without-violating-employee-privacy