Endless GPS Tracking Crosses The Line Into Too Much Information

Parents once sent their children off with a little trust and a prayer that they would be all right. Today it's big business helping parents track of their kids no matter what the hour. More and more parents know exactly where their children are. They can pinpoint them to within a few inches, thanks to the Global Positioning System. The parents can track children throughout the school day, or while a teenager is out driving or partying at a friend's house. Most parents use GPS through a cell phone. But that's not the end of it. In some schools, a GPS tracker is sewn into the school blazers. According to the Miami Herald, we'll soon seen GPS trackers installed in sneakers. The Wall Street Journal reports that the next trend will mix GPS tracking with social networking. In other words, not only can you keep text messaging your friends on your cell phone, but your GPS monitor will track them wherever they go. Pets and employees won't escape surveillance either. Products will be out soon to allow pet owners to track animals' whereabouts. A special phone speaker hung about a pet's neck will allow the owner to talk to it no matter where the owner wanders. Employers, in the meantime, are keeping track of employees through GPS-implanted cell phones in order to boost productivity. That might cut out long lunches, but, as one privacy expert noted, do employers turn off trackers at the end of the work day? Soon GPS devices will be everywhere. One researcher said this will be a $2 billion business in a few years.