Is Big Brother using GPS Surveillance to track your cell phone?

Smart Phones are rapidly becoming indispensible mobile communication devices with a multitude of benefits.  However, there may be a down-side that would not be considered an attractive selling point!  A recent Time article explains how the benefits of GPS could be turned against us by a government that is keen to know our every move. Before the advent of smart phones, the most accurate way of establishing the whereabouts of the mobile phone was by a method of triangulation.  The device regularly sends signals about where you are according to your proximity to nearby cell-phone towers, so that it is in a state of readiness to make and receive calls. This tells the cell phone company where you are, and this information is stored on a database for an indefinate period.  This data may only be accurate to within around half-a-mile or so, depending on your proximity to different towers. Now, thanks to the GPS chip that is embedded in most smart phones. The data can often reveal your location to within five or ten meters. Law enforcement has found this data extremely useful. Prosecutors are increasingly using cellphone records to show that a suspect was near the scene of a crime, or not where he claimed to be.  The federal government's position is that it should be able to get most of this data if it decides it is relevant to an investigation, with no need for a search warrant.  GPS surveillance provides unparalleled accuracy for these investigations. We have already reported about Police planting GPS tracking locator devices to track suspects, but the ability to track a device that most people own and use is perhaps greater cause for vigilance when it comes to civil liberties. You can read the full Time article here.

Missing Children - The Not-So-Great Wall Of China

Every year, thousands of children in China go missing. Many of them are abducted by human traffickers.  About 30 parents from around China gathered in Beijing last week. They unfurled this massive banner with pictures and details of their missing children.  This created a 300ft long Missing Children Wall. Zhao Weichao, a boy from Inner Mongolia, went missing in 2007. Wang Ming, a girl from Shanxi Province, went missing in 1997. The faces of these children, along with many others are displayed.  The Father of Lin Chengmian, an 8-year old child who was kidnapped in 2008 in Fujian Province, explains the parents' wishes. "We want to see whether we can strike harder at these kidnappers, and help find our children. This is my biggest wish, finding our children is our biggest wish." Many of the children have been missing for several years. The Chinese regime's one-child policy and the lucrative overseas adoption market have created a demand for children. While there are no official statistics, between thousands to tens of thousands of kidnaps are estimated every year. A video report can be seen on Daily Motion You can also find further information about child tracking at childtracking.org

Biometric Information Helps Locate Missing Children

While GPS Surveillance can undoubtedly help locate a missing child, there are other steps that can be taken to ensure that Law enforcement officials have all the details they need as quickly as possible. The John Walsh Child Safety Program provides parents with vital tools recommended by the FBI and the Department of Justice, including new biometric fingerprinting and DNA identification kit.  Biometrics is the newest and most advanced technology available today for obtaining fingerprints. It is done with the same equipment presently used by federal agencies, law enforcement, and the US military. Law enforcement officials say that time is critical in the recovery of a missing child. The Biometric Technology program allows parents to immediately submit their child's fingerprints into the FBI Database as soon as they are reported missing. Once in the database, the fingerprints become immediately available to all law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. Original story from WLOX

Is it necessary to buy a GPS tracking locator for Child Care?

It's a dilemma faced by many parents. Those who work outside the home will know the feeling – especially during the toddler and pre-school years.  Getting somebody completely trustworthy to take care of the children.  When you hire a Childminder or Nanny, can you really rest assured about the security of your children while you are away?  Particularly if the carer takes the child away from the home setting for any reasons, such as a visit to a park. GPS surveillance techniques can help give peace of mind, so that parents can get on with their busy lives.  However, not many parents are aware of the availability of affordable tracking locator solutions.  These child GPS locators can help parents track and protect their children when they are out for some school activities, or when they go out of sight in over-crowded places. Child GPS locators include watches and small devices which can be concealed in their belongings.  They are very easy to operate and don’t need much technical expertise. Services are available to allow you to keep tabs of their whereabouts over the internet, or via your mobile device. You can read more about GPS Surveillance equipment and techniques at http://childtracking.org

Quick Tip for Locating a Missing Child

Although a tracking locator device is the best way to find a wandering child, you may as yet be undecided as to whether to invest the technology that can help them.  However, if you already own have a digital camera, or a cell phone equipped with a camera, then here is a tip that you can implement now to help in the event that your child goes missing. Each time you go out to an unfamiliar area, or a crowded place, or anywhere where there is a possibility that your child may inadvertantly become lost and separated from you, then take a digital picture early on.  Not a close-up, or an action shot, but a simple picture of the child from head to toe while facing the camera.  There is no need for anybody, including the child, to know the reason why you are taking the picture. The idea is that you will have the most recent picture of the child wearing the exact clothes that he or she was wearing before they wandered.  You can then show this picture, rather than having to describe details (and maybe forgetting something vital) to people who may be able to help.  As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. For more information about GPS child locator devices, visit http://childtracking.org

Dealing with Child Abduction - Chinese Style

In my first blog post about my child tracking motivation, I related that it was while visiting China that I began to think about these issues.  The following may well be a case of "closing the gate after the horse has bolted", but it's certainly a way of reducing the incentive for kidnappers! Two people involved in abducting and selling 40 children have been sentenced to death for human trafficking in East China's Fujian province, Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday. The Quanzhou Intermediate People's Court in Fujian found Li was involved in trafficking 23 children and Wu 17. The court also ruled the two be deprived of political rights for life and their entire property be confiscated. A total of 11 other people were also convicted by the court in cases involving a total of 46 children.Li Diji and Wu Suiqing, along with a number of accomplices, kidnapped children from Sichuan and other provinces before selling them in the rural areas of Anxi county in Fujian for 30,000 yuan ($4,500) to 40,000 yuan each. Report from China Daily on 28th September 2010

Young Child Found Sitting Alone Near School

Yet another incident involving a wandering child near a school which happened a couple of days ago.  Police in McKeesport said a young child, believed to be either 3 or 4-years-old, was found sitting alone on a sidewalk Thursday afternoon.Investigators said someone passing by saw the child near Centennial Elementary School on Beaver Street and called 911.  McKeesport Area School District spokeswoman Kristen Davis said the child was on school property.  "We are working with police to find out what happened," she said. Details still emerging.  Original report at wpxi.com For possible solutions to this kind of problem, we continue our own investigations of child tracking technology.