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[David Minton <dminton AT mindspring.com>]

On 10/31/03 11:37 AM, "Tanner Lovelace" <lovelace AT wayfarer.org> wrote:

> Jeremy Portzer wrote:
> 
>> The privacy implications are there anyway with the E-911 service, which
>> will result in GPS receivers in all cell phones.  Why would adding this
>> additional service be an more of a "privacy implication" ?  The cell
>> phone companies will already have full access to exactly where their
>> customers are.
>> 
>> The real question is how the courts will treat this -- will they be very
>> careful in allowing subpeonas for this information?
> 
> Well, currently it tracks where you are currently, but, afaik,
> doesn't do "dead reckoning" to determine where you went when
> you leave cell coverage, or track your path as you move through
> the cells.  For this to work to make a map of dead cell coverage,
> they'd have to make basically a path of where you went.  Knowing
> where you are at any given instant is bad enough without them
> having your entire history already there.  How soon, btw, before
> some divorce lawyer supoena's this information to tell where a
> "cheating" spouse was at any given time?  Or what route they took
> home?

If all phones report their location, the cell company would not need to
track movement. The cell company could record every spot they receive a
signal from a phone, and look to areas that they do not receive signals.
These areas will either be a dead spot, or a spot that is inaccessible to
people.

David

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