Tracking Technology - Essay Example

Tracking Technology Tracking of a person’s location involves a set of technologies that offer different capabilities. This is extensively done to recover stolen items and missing persons. There are various types of trackers available today, and they differ with applications. This paper describes the various tracking technologies used to get the location of a person, as well as the ethical considerations of this process. Total Information Awareness (TIA), a proposal by the Defense Advanced Research projects (DARPA) that is reliant on data mining and tracking information will be discussed in terms of the regulations and ethical concerns involved. Types of Tracking Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is applied in various instances. RFID technology consists of a tag that has a transmitting antenna that can disburse and receive radio signals. The broadcast information used for communication is found in a chip. There are active and passive tags in this technology, which are differentiated from the method of broadcasting power used. This mode of tracking can be used to tell the direction and range of a tracked object. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a more advanced tool in terms of reporting the location of an object. The GPS tracker has a receiver that determines the position of an object. It also has an embedded mechanism that reports the data obtained. Information is conveyed through radio transmission or cellular networks. Wide area systems require satellite receivers for extended worldwide reach. The technology is more efficient as compared to RFID as it can tell the exact position of an object/person from a wide range. It is, however, more expensive. Geofencing is a technology that uses RFID or GPS, and confines its reporting to a particular passive state. The technology, while applying RFID, senses proximity to a radio scanner and detects an object’s location through GPS. The technique is preferred on a passive area and alerts the user once the subject leaves a certain confined area. In areas served with wireless networks, it is possible to use wireless positioning systems. The position of an object is then accessed using a MAC address and the “received signal strength”. Tracking and Privacy Tracking of people has raised considerable debate on ethics and privacy. There are cases where the tracking technologies are used by individuals to abuse the rights of other individuals. Such instances include stalking by spies, lovers, or just technology savvy individuals wanting to test their equipment. In lieu of such tracking, it is wise to consider the ethical implications of these behaviors. Companies should act to ensure that proper laws are enacted to prevent such scenarios from taking place. Such provisions will serve to protect customers from having information about them being disbursed to third parties. Despite the challenges of tracking, and which include lack of privacy, people should also consider the trade in between such challenges and the benefits a technology brings. Issues regarding information awareness led to a lawsuit between the Electronic privacy Information Center (EPIC) and DARPA, about the release of privacy information. DARPA’s motive to root out terrorism through the identification of potential terrorists involved use of private information. EPIC was, however, concerned with the use of such information without violating the right to privacy. The tracking system, known as “total information awareness,” aimed at following as many people as possible. This would be made possible through data mining where as much information about the people is collected and analyzed to detect unlawful activity. Total Information Awareness (TIA) TIA is was proposed by DARPA‘s information awareness office to detect terrorist plans against the United States. With a mission to avert threats of terrorism, TIA was aimed at revolutionizing the way in which the United States would identify terrorists, decode their plans and thus act in a timely manner. The uses of the technology at their disposal to counter the threats of terrorism, TIA was noble in its function and aimed at increasing information coverage and affordability of future scaling, provision of warnings in a timely manner, and technologically use the information at hand to foretell plans based on past attacks and bring about mitigation measures. The aims of TIA discussed in the above sections are to the good of the country. The database of records which was to be accessed through data mining through “troves” of records would assist the necessary legal enforcement agencies with the right information that would be necessary to track down and control terrorist activities. Arguing from a disclosure perspective, there was a great need to have such information being used positively to secure the common person, putting in mind the happenings that took place in 2001. However, ethical concerns lie in the manner data collected by the department is stored and disbursed to other authorities for use. Many people disputed the credibility of the information that was to be collected by TIA bringing in a big debate that led to its scrapping by the congress. Another case where technology has been used to track people without consent is smartphone Wi-Fi cards. When a smartphone snoops for a Wi-Fi network in its surroundings, there are Wi-Fi routers that look for surrounding smartphones and store their records. The routers retrieve the unique MAC ID or the MAC address associated with the card, store it in a database and can use the information for tabulation purposes. The database can tell anytime the owner of a certain ID is within the vicinity of such a certain place and monitor their movements. In advanced systems, such a device can record the times such a person gets near a register and such detailed recordings using the discussed tracking technologies. Such technological advancements are unwarranted by the consumers as they record their surroundings anonymously. The main question however is the possibility of muting such an action. According Fung (2013), such an action is impossible as the only practical way would be for the consumer to switch off their wireless connections any time they are within range. According to Stevens (6), the privacy act’s implementation was to protect those identified by information systems that are maintained by government departments. This act also controls the manner in which information is collected, used and shared. A restriction to disclosure of such records is in line with ethical requirements of private data. Application of such legal guidelines was properly exemplified in the defunding of TIA from the national budget. Katina, McNamee and Michael (6) propose an ethical framework, based on data collected by a GPS receiver. In their argument, there was no definition of the right use of certain information and there was a possibility of contradicting use of information. While researching on GPS tracking for people with dementia, Shirli (358) based the problem on the behavioral disturbances common with dementia patients. In this regard, people suffering from the problem can benefit from assistive technology such as GPS tracking. However, there lingers a question on the ethical implications of such assistance. The research concluded that such a decision should be made in collaboration with the patient and the family in the presence of the caregiver. A professional meeting is relevant for such a decision to be made, thus formal documentation required. Zwisjen, Niemejer and Hertogh (419-27) reviewed essential considerations in using assistive technology to care for the elderly. According to this research, it was found out that most people ignore the ethics behind the use of such technology with old people. Conclusion The essay has looked at and dissected the complex issue of ethics and use of people tracking devices. The essay started with a look into tracking devices and methods used to track objects. RFID, GPS and WiFi methods have been discussed in brief in terms of functions and applications. The intricate question of ethics in the use of people tracking devices has been posed. It is evident that tracking is a very delicate issue, which has led to a lot of controversy in academic debates as well as politics. The use of TIA by the Department of Defense to root out terrorism was looked into in details. The use of tracking in assistive technology in medical conditions has also received ethical debates. Inasmuch as tracking is a very handy in today’s world, there are various ethical considerations that should be put into perspective before enrolling a system. Works Cited Hayes, Chris. Before PRISM there was total information awareness. 2 July 2013. Web. 27 Oct 2014. Katina Michael, McNamee Andrew & Michael, M. The emerging ethics of humancentric GPS tracking and monitoring. Proceedings of the International Conference on Mobile Business, 2006. Print. Kazmeyer, Milton. Kinds of tracking technology. Chron, 2014. Web. 27 October 2014. O’Harrow, Robert. U.S. Hopes to Check Computers Globally; System Would Be Used to Hunt Terrorists, Washington Post. Nov. 12, 2002. Web. 27 October 2014. Shirli, Wener. “Ethical aspects of using GPS from tracking people with dementia: recommendations for practice.” International Psychogeriatric 24.3 (2012): 358-366. Stevens, Gina Marie. Privacy: Total information awareness programs and related information access, collection, and protection laws. Report for congress. 21 March 2003. Web. 27 Oct 2014. Zwisjen Sandra, Niemejer Alistair and Hertogh, C. “Ethics of using assistive technology in the care for community dwelling elderly people: An overview of the literature.” Aging & Mental health 15.4 (2011): 419-427. Read More