Week 3 Activity: Tracking your mobile

Written by: Jonathan Briggs

February 18, 2007 [4829 views]

This week's activity begins to explore location based services and some of the privacy issues involved. It should take less than an hour to complete. Make notes as you work through the activity and then fill in the survey as usual.

Begin by reading the following articles

• Mobile phone tracking helps police solve child murder case (Guardian, January 29, 2004)
• Follow You, Follow Me (Guardian, September 14 2006)
• Verilocation (one of many mobile tracking companies)
• Mobile phone tracking on trial (BBC, February 24 2006)

and then think about answering the following questions considering only the current mobile form of tracking described above

Which of the following applications could make use of the tracking technology described?

1. Finding a lost phone
2. Tracking your teenage daughter
3. Marking the area in which the tracked phone is located on a map
4. Tracking a member of your sales staff
5. Sending out targeted advertising from local stores to customers in the area
6. Finding the quickest route between your current location and the location of a phone being tracked
7. Alert me when my friends are nearby

Which of the above applications do you think is MOST suitable?
Explain your answer

Describe briefly how the technology works

Describe why the current tracking technology is not very accurate

How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following

1. I would like to be able to use the technology to track other people
2. I would like other people to be able to track my movements
3. Employers should be able to track employees via their phones
4. Mobile tracking could solve kidnapping and other crimes
5. The police and security forces should be able to track your location
6. Parents should be able to track their children
7. Anyone being tracked should consent to the service
8. I look forward to the technology becoming more accurate
9. I would take steps to avoid being tracked at any time
10. I would like my phone to recommend local clubs, bars, restaurants etc
11. I look forward to improved route finding and “find my nearest” services on my phone

Which of the following do you own?

1. In car Satnav system such as TomTom
2. Handheld GPS
3. Bank ATM card
4. Supermarket/store loyalty card such as Boots, Tesco or Nectar
5. London transport Oystercard

Now fill in the survey by following this link

Deadline midnight Thursday as usual.

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