Maddie

Mrs. Funk
Inquiry Skills
15 April 2014
Cell Phone Tracking: The Risks and The Benefits
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon
probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be
searched, and the persons or things to be seized. This is the fourth amendment present in the
constitutions Bill of Rights. It shows the rights people have in the United States. Looking at the
benefits of cell phone tracking and the new policies that were taken to ensure that rights such as
these are not taken away, the risks can easily be overruled by those benefits. Cell phone tracking
has always been used by the United States Government to track its citizens phones, but now
new technology has made it possible for the citizens to track each other as well as improve
governmental tracking. Through looking at new cell phone tracking technology, the reader can
see the risks and benefits of cell phone tracking.
Cell Phone Tracking: Can It Really Be Beneficial?
Cell phone tracking has been proven to help people in many situations as of now and in
certain situations that may happen in the future. If cell phone tracking is used by the government,
then the government can watch over the peoples cell phones and help to protect them and save
their lives. Jason Artman, a journalist and researcher of governmental cell phone tracking, states
that cell phone tracking can help make faster 911 calls by tracking the location of that cell phone
(The Advantages And Disadvantages). This illustrates how if for instance a person could not

speak while in an emergency situation, the 911 receptionist could still get help to the person
because they could use the location provided by tracking it. However, an emergency may not be
as clear in certain situations. The location of a cell phone can help give fundamental information
in helping save an abducted child. As a journalist for USA today, the author points out that
police can use the location of a phone to save abducted children and prevent future crime
(Fouraker et al). Meaning that in a situation where a police officer knows that a child has been
kidnapped, He/she can track the phone of the abducted child if applicable or the cell phone of the
abductor in order to save the life of that child. Finding an abducted child is not the only situation
in which tracking a cell phone can save someones life. Cell phones can help find people who are
lost as well. As a journalist, the author shares that cell phone tracking has been shown to save
lost backpackers and hikers lost in the woods (Wayner). This shows how people have seen ways
in which cell phone tracking can be beneficial in odd situations that do not necessarily occur
every day. There are also proven everyday examples where cell phone can be beneficial to daily
life. As a researcher and writer about cell phone tracking apps available, Rosenbloom states that
currently 70 million people use a family tracking application to track family members who have
accepted them on the app (Where Is Everyone? Try A Tracking Application). This means that
when the family is on a family cruise, or a mom is trying to find her lost child in a store, or when
a spouse is trying to find their husband or wife that is possible with this family tracking
application. Not only have regular everyday people used the application to their advantage but so
have the state governments and certain companies. Certain frequently traveled places such as the
mall have started to use tracking devices to track people that visit them. According a researcher
on advanced tracking and reporter for CNN news, many malls have started using tracking to see
where shoppers are and what stores they frequent most (censky). This shows how cell phone

tracking is becoming more obvious in the daily lives of people. The government is also using cell
phone tracking to help make their preexisting methods more beneficial to the people. According
to a writer on traffic data and new methods for tracking traffic, the state of Baltimore is using
1000 miles of road to track the traffic on that road using the drivers cell phones. Many states are
using this to replace their old system of road sensors and cameras (Lieb). This means that states
can easily monitor the traffic on a certain road in order to help reduce traffic and make it easier
for people to get to their destinations on time. All of these examples are real everyday examples
of how cell phone tracking can be beneficial to daily lives.
The Tracking Benefits: What Risks Do They Pose?
Cell phone tracking makes many people apprehensive because of the privacy invading
aspects of it. Many people value the rights given to them by their country and do not want
increased amounts of cell phone tracking to diminish those. According to a cell phone tracking
court case observer, there are many court cases involving cell phone tracking giving the exact
location of a cell phone easy (Garfinkel). This means that peoples right to keep private is
invaded and leads to dispute. Many people have shown this disapproval in their rights being
taken away as well. Many people have written to law enforcement agencies in order to put a stop
to cell phone tracking invading their privacy. According to the American Civil Liberties Union,
380 requests were sent in 2008 to stop illegal cell phone tracking (Public records Request). This
shows how many people are weary about giving up their rights to benefit the government in
2008. This also shows how many more requests could have been sent from 2008 until now. The
fear that Cell Phone tracking invades peoples privacy leads many people to wonder whether
increased amounts pf cell phone tracking is legal. Even the people that are trusted with enforcing
the laws have partaken in making cell phone tracking illegal. Also according to the American

Civil Liberates Union, Many police officers have admitted to not obtaining a search warrant
before tracking the location of a cell phone (Public Records Request). This means that many
police are violating the fourth amendment granted by the constitution by unreasonable searching
the property of a person without first getting permission. Many people are scared it invades
privacy because of how cell phone tracking can work. Many applications and cell phone tracking
work when the phone is not working. According to the article, cell phones can track when they
are off and/or not in use (wayner). This means that anyone could easily track the phone without
the phone user even being aware. This makes many people skeptical of cell phone tracking.
There are also more factors to cell phone tracking that make it so risky to peoples rights. There
are many apps that are made to track and then there are apps that track the cell phone without
function to so primarily. According to an article on legalization of cell phone tracking, typical
phone applications can track using GPS features in the smart phone (Gatto). This means that all
apps are capable of aiding in cell phone tracking whether or not the application is intended to do
so. People are weary about his because it means that it makes it a lot easier for the government or
anyone with the intention of tracking someone is made a lot easier. Also many new tracking
applications make people cautious about their cell phones. These applications can track either
with acceptance try to track or without acceptance. The article based on consumer reports on new
tracking apps shows that applications can track in the phones background or can be installed
without notice (Larkin). This means that such applications can allow someone to track when
unwanted by the application user. People who have seen or used these applications see it as a
privacy risk to the new technology. Overall, new tracking technology makes many people
skeptical as to whether or not cell phone trackings risks can be outweighed by the benefits this
new technology brings.

Risks: How Can They Be Prevented To Make Tracking More B0eneficial?
There are many ways in which cell phone tracking can change from something the
government uses to track the people into something that can be used to help save people. There
are many new policies that the federal government, the state government, and the companies that
proved new cell phone tracking technology. According to a cell phone court case researcher, cell
phone towers are able to see the exact location of a cell phone so many legislators are trying to
make it so that companies can show only the relative location of a cell phone. This means that
cell phone tracking policies are being implemented so that cell phone tracking isnt as privacy
invading to people. Also there are other situations in which legislators have had to implement
new policies. Before the reader saw that many malls were using cell phone tracking to monitor
which stores the costumers were going to and which how many people were in the mall.
According to that article, senators found that this tracking was going against the rights of people
and that it needed to be stopped (Censky). This shows how the legislators are concerned with
keeping peoples rights in tack and ill prevent situations that take those rights away. Also many
major companies are putting a stop to old ay that made cell phone tracking dangerous. Apple
started being cautious of how their cell phone works and caused other cell phone companies to
do so as well. According to consumer reports on new tracking applications, all Iphones shut off
running apps in the background so that apps cannot track when not in use (Larkin). This means
that applications that could track before without permission can no longer track thanks to new
policies by phone companies. Also new policies are being created to make government and state
tracking even more beneficial to people while protecting their rights. According to the American
Civil Liberties Union, the government is trying to make more precise policies in order to try to
make tracking more beneficial in criminal investigation and less privacy invading (Public records

Request). This shows how legislators are aware of police not obtaining warrants and they are
trying to make it so that police have to obtain his in order to abide by the fourth amendment.
There are also many precautions that can be taken in order to ensure that cell phone tracking
does not invade the privacy of the people using smartphones. According to surveillance self-
defense, a company that helps to protect people with their mobile phone safety, there are many
ways to protect you by knowing how the company people have service with uses cell tower
location tracking and making sure the GPS location on the phones is of. This shows how there
are ways to make new tracking technology safer and that it can be used by the government and
by people to help in investigations and keeping people safe.
To conclude, cell phone tracking can be used in many ways now thanks to new cell
phone tracking technology to help people in their daily lives. By examining new cell phone
tracking technology, people can see the benefits and risks it presents to daily life. The uses of
cell phone tracking are now more than governmental use and are used more by people and even
more by the government. The benefits of increased amounts cell phone tracking technology
outweigh the risks it poses to people when certain precautions are taken.