GPS tracking devices have a multitude of uses, most of which are beneficial. However, GPS devices sometimes come with privacy concerns that can be controversial at times.
Fleet Vehicles and GPS Tracking Devices
You will find that there are many companies, both large and small, that use GPS tracking devices to track the location of their vehicles. Most trucking companies have the ability to tell you where all of their vehicles are at any given time. Similarly, taxi companies and repair companies have the ability to monitor the location of their trucks in order to dispatch them more efficiently.
However, some people believe that this gives companies that choose to use GPS tracking devices more information about their drivers than is necessary. For example, trucking companies have the ability to know how long a trucker has been on the road, when and for how long he stops to sleep or eat, and whether he has made unscheduled side trips.
Dispatchers for these companies may have access to personal information that is not their concern, such as a driver who eats lunch every day at the same place and it is not your residence. Some people view this as an invasion of personal privacy.
Teens and GPS tracking devices
There are some parents who use GPS tracking devices to know the location of their teenagers. They can download GPS tracking software technology onto their teen’s cell phones, or they can place a GPS tracking device somewhere in their car. Teens may or may not be aware that their parents are watching them.
There are probably quite a few teenagers who believe that this is an invasion of their privacy.
GPS Tracking and Surveillance Devices
Does the idea of your spouse having an affair cross your mind? Curious to know what your brother-in-law is up to? If you put a hidden GPS tracking device in your vehicle, at least you’ll know where they’re going in your car. You may have to come to your own conclusions about what they are really doing there.
There are many people who would agree that this would be an invasion of privacy, and quite a few would be offended if they knew or suspected that you were tracking them. Things get a little more complicated when the police use GPS tracking devices.
Police have used GPS tracking devices to successfully solve crimes. An example of the conflict between the service of justice and the invasion of privacy; They say police planted a GPS tracking device in the car of a person they suspect of being a murderer. They successfully track down the killer as he unknowingly leads them to the serious victims. Is this an invasion of privacy? Should law enforcement officials be allowed to use GPS tracking devices in this way?
If, for example, the police need to obtain a search warrant from a judge to use a GPS tracking device, should a private citizen be able to use this technology without a warrant? Should the average private citizen be allowed to use GPS tracking device technology? Sometimes the right to privacy and the right to information are in conflict, this is one of those occasions.
All technology has moral and ethical implications that we as individuals and society as a whole have to deal with. The right to privacy is the ethical dilemma we are forced to face when using GPS tracking device technology.