GPS and Big Brother

So after yesterday's personal post, I am going to completely switch topics here and delve into the world of surveillance, GPS, and government intrusion.  (On a different note, I would like the readers of this blog to give me their opinion on what they prefer to read about, more about my experiences about becoming a father or the daily issues that affect us all.  Please comment or send me a message on facebook.)   Moving on, I read an article (surprise!) in the NYTimes about an upcoming Supreme Court case that is going to deal with GPS and the legality of its usage in surveillance by the police or government for that matter.   It seems that it is being favored more and more in its usage to track criminals and police would prefer to use it without a warrant.  Moreover, a request by the government last month for the location data from cellphone towers was luckily turned down by a appellate court in New York.  With many people now carrying GPS devices with them wherever they go in the form of cell phones, this is a very important issue that is being dealt with by the courts.  At the lower courts, feelings are divided with some favoring a ban on the use of GPS tracking while others are permitting it.  We have reached the era that George Orwell described in his book "1984", a society that is forever under the watchful eye of government and big brother.   Many in the courts are even alluding to the connection between our modern society and that depicted in the book.  (To read the full article, follow this link.)

Despite the fact that GPS can be used by the government to track individuals' whereabouts, I have other problems with the device.  While I will not deny that GPS can be extremely useful when traveling to regions that we are unfamiliar with, I wholeheartedly believe that it partly takes away our ability to utilize our brain, think for ourselves, and expand our knowledge of different regions.  Even when we are in unfamiliar areas, what ever happened to using a map and our own brain to get us to certain areas.  (I know, maps are archaic, old, outdated, useless, blah, blah, blah.)   I will not deny it, there was a time when GPS first became available that I was a big fan of it, but since then, I have rarely used it to direct me to my location.  The extent that I use GPS for now is to find a location and then figure out a route myself to get there.  I know I may be one of the last few to use my brain to figure out how to get somewhere, but I do not want my brain to atrophy, but rather expand with knowledge. 

But more important than simply letting a GPS device do our thinking for us, is the massive use of GPS to notify everyone of our location wherever we go.  Do we not think that this information is utilized by companies?  I guarantee that every time we post our location or allow our phone to use our location, that information is stored and to some extent utilized to either improve the function of apps, the location of stores, or simply which ads to send to our phones.   It is a very fine line between utilization for marketing and sales and utilization for tracking and following.  The information is gathered and as we know in this digital age, none of that information is being deleted.   Rather, that information is being stored on enormous servers somewhere where all it would take would be some really smart hacker to get in, get the information, and sell it to the highest bidder.  What if that highest bidder was the government?  At this point, the government and police must still put in a request to use that information, but when will that change.  I can only hope that the Supreme Court will uphold our fourth amendment right to protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.  It may need some tweaking to keep up with the digital age, but if that's what it takes to protect our rights, then lets get on with it.  The last thing we need now is more government intrusion into our daily lives. 

GPS can be a very useful tool, provided it is used correctly and by the right people for the right reasons.  Any use by government or police for tracking purposes without a warrant should not be allowed for any reason whether for information gathering or other use.  With updated technology coming out every few months now, we are getting to the point where every step we take whether we like it or not can be stored or viewed in real time and the details we can gather from that information are getting greater and greater.  While this technology is fun, easy to use, and extremely useful, we must exercise caution.  Government is continually growing and we must keep them in check especially when it comes to our personal lives.  Till tomorrow, try turning off your GPS, pulling out that old paper map, and using your brain to get somewhere.  Or not, its up to you, just keep in mind that Big Brother is watching.