Do you all know that most cellphones have a GPS?

[The Backlash Cometh]

I don't know if that's what it's actually called, but there is a "location" option on your cellphone so emergency services can find you should you need their help. More info on where to find that option on your cellphone below.

However, my reason for posting is this: Assuming this option is available, and yes, there is an aspect of big brother to it, then why won't the phone companies let us use this service to find a lost cellphone? Instead of forcing us to spend a hundred dollars or more to get another one? This is a consumer rip-off that phone companies have this ability, and won't give us access to this information for our own usage.

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The Importance of 'Location' on Your Cell Phone

You may remember that a young woman was recently abducted from a Target
parking lot in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City. Her body was
discovered many miles away in Missouri. They were able to locate her by the
sequence of cell phone towers that picked up her cell phone location. She
had not attempted to dial out, but when h er family was trying to call her
the towers could sense her phone.

Sadly, the authorities were not able to reach her in time. However, they
were able to locate her body which was in an area where they never would
have searched without the cell phone tower information.

Below is information you may find helpful. The cell phone 'locator' can be
either set on'911' in which case you must dial out to be located, or it can
be set to be on all the time. With it on all the time you can be located by
emergency services through the police if you fail to respond, are sick,
injured or worse.

ALL cell phones have this feature. It's called Location. It's under the
'Settings' or 'System' tool. Once you turn this on, THEN your phone is
traceable (select 'Location On' instead of '911 Only'). To stay safe,
everyone needs to check their phone and turn this on!!! Please do this now
and pass the word to everyone you know. We will all be safer that way.

[wildbilln864]

1. Yes and...

they can monitor and transmit audio in the room they're in even if they're turned off! :banghead:

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. wha-what?

[Quantess]

3. .....

:tinfoilhat:

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Not that tinfoilly

See http://www.news.com/2100-1029_3-6140191.html

[wildbilln864]

6. a related video...

is here. :hi:

[Quantess]

7. Thank you, I did not know that.

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. daaaang.

[wildbilln864]

5. It's a fact!

:banghead:

[Quantess]

8. Okay, I believe you.

That's wild that can be done!

[TheWraith]

9. That's not really true, actually.

One "security firm" claimed that it was possible, but they were never actually able to demonstrate doing it with phones they hadn't physically hacked in advance.

[wildbilln864]

13. you've got to be kidding me....

What's not really true? You actually don't believe they can do this with cellphones? Pssst, they can.

[TheWraith]

10. It's an overstatement to call it GPS.

A few phones have true GPS, but most have a system that localizes your position using what cellular towers your phone can "see." It's semi-accurate in big cities where there's a lot of towers, but the farther you get from urban environments the less accurate it is. Out here in the country, you can only get a location to within about 3 miles.

"Assuming this option is available, and yes, there is an aspect of big brother to it, then why won't the phone companies let us use this service to find a lost cellphone?"

Too much chance for abuse. Suppose somebody else called in, claiming to be you having "lost" your phone. If they talked the company into triangulating the phone's location, they could track you. Also, even if you could get a location accurate to within a couple hundred feet or so--which is not within the abilities of most phones--it would still be a needle in a haystack trying to find a lost phone.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. Thanks for the info.

[wildbilln864]

15. and another way.....

you can do it yourself...video link :hi:

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. Unbelievable.

Of course, anyone who bugs me is going to suffer boredom. It is its own punishment.

[Quantess]

17. Anyone who "bugs" me will be bored to tears.

They'll hear me talking to the dogs, occasional fart noises, and they'll hear utterly banal conversations. Luckily for all you taxpayers out there, I'm not a "suspicious character", or your tax money would be drained by listening and waiting for something incriminating to be said.

:eyes:

I'm SO GLAD a big chunk of the Federal Budget (our tax money) is being funneled to HOMELAND SECURITY. What a crock of shit.

[The Backlash Cometh]

18. I would love to see the day someone opens my file.

Assuming its the FBI doing the bugging, imagine ten years from now some reporter going through it. What would they say? "Hey, FBI, this woman was doing a better job of tracking the corruption in her city than you were. Why the hell didn't you follow her leads?"

[Horse with no Name]

14. I had to call 911 on my cellphone last week

It was the first time I had ever done that.
It took me forever to get it out of emergency mode.
This is great info. Thanks.

[Festivito]

19. Place your cell near an AM radio or computer speakers.

You will hear it communicate every couple of hours and less.

My radio and speakers are on 24/7 with my cell nearby one or the other when I am home.

Sometimes it seems to react to my DU usage. But, since that is a lot of usage, that is likely coincidence.

[Mugu]

20. It is clearly stated in the instructions for my phone. n/t

[better tomorrow]

21. it is called a "ping".....

double edged sword I guess....

for privacy, you don't want it....

but....

for emergency, you need it....