Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Adam Irby
CST 300 Writing Lab
18 February 2018
GPS Tracking Devices
With the widespread popularity of mobile devices with Global Positioning System (GPS)
capabilities, users of those devices can get step-by-step directions to almost anywhere on the
planet. Users can also leverage this same GPS technology to locate a lost device with the click of
a button. Due to the trackability of these devices, there is the potential that someone else could
be tracking that device with or without the owner’s consent. This poses the questions of the use
of GPS enabled devices by third parties, and whether or not GPS technology should be included
Carrying GPS enabled devices is convenient for personal use, as well as vital for use in
emergency situations. GPS navigation capabilities are extremely useful to have because people
no longer have to know exactly where their destination is, pull out a map, and determine their
route. Now people can just type the address into their phones and receive directions to their
destination in real time. This had made traveling to new destinations easier, arrival on time more
reliable, and the process of planning much less stressful. In addition to enabling travel, GPS has
facilitated in the tracking of people in need such as those with mental disabilities, small children,
or missing and possibly injured people. Emergency responders and family members have been
able to leverage GPS devices on these individuals to determine their location and bring them
These same GPS enabled devices however, can also be used against the person carrying
the device. Due to the trackable nature of GPS, the device can be tracked without the user’s
knowledge by unknown third parties or even by government and law enforcement agencies. This
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tracking can sometimes be without warrant or probable cause. This is because it is still a
relatively new technology so the definition of the law surrounding these devices is vague. The
laws and regulations overseeing this are still being evaluated and changed to determine the reach
entities such as businesses and government agencies can have in relation to GPS tracking. In
addition to the growing concerns with third party monitoring, companies that provide the GPS
services can record and even sell the data collected from its use. At this time, this data is owned
by the GPS companies providing the service, and there are few restrictions on them selling
There are multiple considerations that come with GPS enabled devices, each with its pros
and cons. Some of these ethical considerations arise from tracking the GPS enabled device
without the owner’s consent and the use of GPS as a service for navigation that can result in
personal information being sold to third parties. These issues have the potential to both benefit
and harm those who use the devices, be it in making their lives easier and safer or by invading
The tracking of GPS devices without the user’s consent has been used as a service to
people and to society. As reported by Lovett (2014), in 2014 a woman named Sarah Maguire
realized her iPhone was missing after going out one night. She was able to use the “Find My
iPhone” application the next morning to see that the phone had been stolen and was located 30
miles away. After tracking her phone and determining the exact location, Maguire went to
confront the thief, who did not know they were being tracked, and was able to recover her stolen
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phone (Lovett, 2014). Without the GPS tracking capability on her phone, it would be unlikely
that she would have known that the phone had been stolen and would have been unable to
recover it.
USA Today (2015) reported the same “Find My iPhone” application was also used in
2015 when a Georgia Tech student named James Hubert went missing after a party. James’
friends were able to use the “Find My iPhone” application to see where his phone was, and in
turn locate James who was found barely conscious seven miles away. Because he was able to be
found so quickly, he was able to get the medical attention he needed for hypothermia and other
injuries (USA Today, 2015). GPS is also used by law enforcement to track sex offenders, gang
members, and other high-risk individuals to help prevent them from re-offending and to ensure
those being tracked do not go where they are forbidden from going in the interest of public safety
Due to the role GPS plays in helping people and protecting society, it can be looked at
through the ethical frameworks of utilitarianism and common good. Utilitarianism is an ethical
theory that considers the benefit of those involved to determine if an action is considered ethical
or not (Utilitarianism, n.d.). According to Bonde and Firenze (2013) at Brown University, the
idea of utilitarianism was developed by the Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus of Samos.
Epicurus applied utilitarianism to consider what brought the least amount of distress to determine
what was ethical. Utilitarianism was later modified by British philosopher Jeremy Bentham to
determine ethical choices to be good or bad depending on if they brought the person pleasure or
pain instead of what caused the least distress. This version of utilitarianism was later modified
once again by his student John Stuart Mill who evaluated what brought the most happiness
instead of the most pleasure to be more subjective and less materialistic (Bonde & Firenze,
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2013). The common good approach was developed by the Greek philosophers Plato and
something is ethical based on how it benefits the community as a whole (Bonde & Firenze,
2013). Based on this, an action that benefits many people is considered ethically good. GPS is a
great benefit in finding and recovering stolen property and locating people in need.
There are also downsides to the ability to track someone’s device without their
knowledge. As reported by Crump (2011), law enforcement officers placed a GPS tracker on
Antoine Jones’ car without his knowledge. The police then continuously tracked his location for
a month afterwards to determine if he was involved in any illegal drug activities. The GPS
tracking device was placed on Jones’ car without the law enforcement officers obtaining a legal
warrant (Crump, 2011). According to Meyer (2015), normally probable cause must be provided
crime, but with GPS tracking, the rules are much more relaxed. To track the GPS location of
someone who is suspected of committing a crime, law enforcement officers only need to be able
to show reasonable suspicion that the individual is involved in an illegal activity. This is a much
lower legal standard than probable cause and allows law enforcement officers and government
officials to bypass the stricter legal standards that protect citizens’ rights (Meyer, 2015). Law
enforcement officers do not even have to place GPS tracking devices on people or their vehicles,
they are able to access the GPS locations of people’s cell phones to track them as well (Crump,
2011).
Another concern of GPS tracking without the person’s knowledge is the ability to track
others when they do not need to be tracked. There are benefits to tracking those that are higher
risk, such as small children and those with disabilities, but problems can arise when people start
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tracking those who are not at risk (RMT, 2014). When tracking a person who is not at risk, it is
an invasion of that person’s privacy with no benefit to that person. The ethical rightness of the
unknowing tracking of individuals by the government, law enforcement agencies, and others can
The rights approach to ethics states that “the best ethical action is that which protects the
ethical rights of those who are affected by the action. It emphasizes the belief that all humans
have the right to dignity” (Bonde & Firenze, 2013). In tracking an individual without their
knowledge, it is an invasion of their privacy and in turn is encroaching on their dignity, thus
making the action unethical. The rights approach is derived from the philosopher Immanuel
Kant’s idea that if the intention behind an action is good, then the action is ethical no matter the
outcome (Bonde & Firenze, 2013). The fairness or justice approach is derived from the
combination of the rights approach and the Law Code of Hammurabi in Ancient Mesopotamia
which states “all free men should be treated alike” (Bonde & Firenze, 2013). American
philosopher John Rawls combined the two ideas into the fairness or justice approach to argue
that “ethical principles are those that would be chosen by free and rational people in an initial
situation of equality. This hypothetical contract is considered fair or just because it provides a
procedure for what counts as fair action” (Bonde & Firenze, 2013). Because GPS tracking is not
held to the same standards of other types of investigations that require probable cause to be
GPS as a Service.
GPS enabled devices can also be used for personal use. GPS navigation services can
provide up to date directions that consider current traffic patterns to plot out the most efficient
route to get from one place to another. This makes traveling much easier and less stressful for the
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driver. When looked at through ethical egoism, the use of GPS for this purpose is ethical.
Ethical egoism states that if an action benefits the user, then that action is ethical. This approach
was developed by ancient Greek Sophists, such as Thrasymachus, and was later supported by
When GPS navigation is provided for the users, the providers will collect the travel data
of the users and sell that information. As reported by Waterfield (2011), in 2011 the GPS
provider TomTom sold the data it collected while providing navigational service to local
authorities. Local authorities then used that information to target drivers in specific areas where
speeding was recorded to occur at a higher rate than other areas (Waterfield, 2011). As reported
by Bonde and Firenze (2013) this collection of user’s data is seen as unethical when looked at
through the rights approach of ethics. The invasion of privacy that resulted from the tracking and
collection of data without the user’s knowledge and selling their personal information without
The use of GPS enabled devices have both benefits and risks associated with them. The
use of GPS navigation is an invaluable tool to get the most efficient directions from one point to
another and to greatly reduce the stress of traveling and learning how to get to new places. The
ability to use GPS to locate and recover missing or stolen property is also of great value to the
end user. The ability to monitor those who have shown to be a risk to themselves and the public
benefits society as it ensures the safety of the many while also helping to prevent high risk
individuals from repeating unethical behavior. This is further supported by the ability to use GPS
to locate people in need. This is especially critical in situations where the time required to locate
the person can mean life or death. In addition, ease of tracking is of great value to their loved
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ones and to the people dedicating their resources searching for them. Because of this, the benefits
associated with the use of GPS enabled devices far outweigh the possible negative uses of those
devices.
Laws and regulations are in the works to help mitigate the risks associated with unethical
use of GPS devices. In California, it is now illegal to “use an electronic tracking device to
determine the location or movement of a person” without their consent to be tracked (California
Penal Code § 637.7). This still does not apply to “lawful use of an electronic tracking device by
law enforcements agencies [sic]” (California Penal Code § 637.7). A bill has also been
introduced to the United States Congress House of Representatives that proposes to make it
level, as opposed to leaving that decision to the state governments (H.R.1062 - GPS Act, n.d.).
Along with these examples, more laws and regulations should continue to be put into place to
References
Bonde, S., & Firenze, P. (2013, May). A Framework for Making Ethical Decisions. Retrieved
from https://www.brown.edu/academics/science-and-technology-studies/framework-
making-ethical-decisions
Crump, C. (2011, November 7). How GPS Tracking Threatens Our Privacy. Retrieved from
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/opinion/crump-gps/index.html
https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Parole/electronic-monitoring.html.
bill/1062
Lovett, I. (2014, May 3). When Hitting ‘Find My iPhone’ Takes You to a Thief’s Doorstep.
takes-you-to-a-thiefs-doorstep.html
Meyer, R. (2015, August 8). Do Police Need a Warrant to See Where a Phone Is? Retrieved
from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/08/warrantless-cell-phone-
location-tracking/400775/.
RMT. (2014, January 7). Is There an Ethical Problem with Child GPS Tracking? Retrieved from
https://rmtracking.com/blog/2014/01/07/is-there-an-ethical-problem-with-child-gps-
tracking/
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USA Today. (2015, October 20). Friends find missing Ga. student hurt, but alive. Retrieved from
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/20/friends-find-missing-ga-
student-hurt-but-alive/74258432/
Waterfield, B. (2011, April 28). Tom Tom sold driver's GPS details to be used by police for
Tom-sold-drivers-GPS-details-to-be-used-by-police-for-speed-traps.html