Cell phone tracking via GPS and location privacy is starting to emerge as a big issue, especially with more GPS enabled cell phones on the market. e911 rules require that your cell phone transmit your location data when you make a 911 call. New cell phones and smart phones have a feature commonly called “Location”. When it is on, your phone is traceable.
For mobile phones to work, they have to be in regular contact with mobile cell towers. Location services uses cell tower locations to determine your approximate location. To track a cell phone, it has to be “On.” There is no need to perform any activity, such as phone usage, emailing or text messaging, for it to be traceable.
Cell phone tracing is helpful in times of emergencies, for example, when a person is in need of help. Most rescue government centers, fire and police departments can use cell phone tracing to find locations of people in need of immediate assistance. This is very valuable in life-threatening situations wherein an individual may not be cohesive enough to describe his or her location–or example, in a case of a car accident or a missing person.
Some parents may find this feature handy to know the whereabouts of their children in case they are running late and they cannot get in touch with them. It can give them the added peace of mind.
Law enforcement officers can also take advantage of phone tracing in their investigative work to find locations of criminals whose cell phone numbers they are tracing.