Do you track your family members via their cell phone?

[RegGuheert]

If so, who do you track? Spouse? Children?

If so, do you track them with their knowledge? Is it mutual tracking, i.e. do they also track you?

If so, why do you track them?

If not, why not?

If not, do you plan on tracking someone in the future?

 

There are now tons of smart phone applications that allow you to track others via the position of their cell phone. Some are for social networking, others are for safety or security. Still others are for retrieving a lost/stolen phone. There may be other reasons, as well.

 

We have a friend who mentioned to me that she tracks her son in college via his iPhone. When I asked her what he thought of that, she told me that he does not know. In thinking about this issue, I find that I can see many different sides to the subject.

 

Really I'm just wondering what people are doing today and what your thoughts are about this practice. :bigear:

[Sputterduck]

I didn't know you could do that! Is it just with the iphone?

[RegGuheert]

 

I didn't know you could do that! Is it just with the iphone?

No. Our Android phones can do this also. I'm pretty sure modern Blackberries can also do this, since I heard that some employers now track their employees through the phones they issue them. I suspect other phones can do it as well.

[Crissy]

I can see the saftey benefits of having a tracking device if parents allowed their younger kids to wander a considerable distance from home, but I am uncomfortable with the idea of tracking older children.

If I don't trust my sons enough to be out and about, they won't be going out.

Tracking a college age child seems terribly intrusive to me. Especially since he doesn't know.

Ick.

[keptwoman]

I think its an appalling invasion of privacy! That a mother can track her GROWN son is disgusting. It should not be allowed. Ditto to employers. Now tracking a minor child; I wouldn't do it but I can see it could be useful.

[abbeyej]

...That a mother can track her GROWN son is disgusting. It should not be allowed. ...

 

Well, we don't know that he's "grown" do we? College students can be minors.

 

Even if he is technically an adult, I can see how someone could justify it if he's still being fully (or almost fully) financed by his parents. ... I wouldn't agree (especially about doing it without his knowledge), but I can see how someone could make the argument.

 

(As to the OP, no, we do not track each other's cell phones. I can only imagine doing it to a teen if there were extenuating circumstances and I feared for a child's safety or was concerned about evidence of criminal activity.)

[Daisy]

I think it's over-the-top for a parent to track their adult son. Too weird.

 

My minor children don't have cellphones but I can see where it might be useful in an emergency to be able to track their location but I can't imagine using it for constant monitoring. If you don't trust your minor child, then why are you letting them have cellphones and gallivant all over the place?

 

I'd love for my husband to be able to track my location through the phone. Sure would save my having to explain to him where I'm at if the car should break down.

 

And my husband? I completely trust him and wouldn't find the technology necessary. He doesn't have a job that requires him to travel. I'd be following his movements from his classroom to the lunchroom to his office. :lol: I'm thinking that wouldn't be high entertainment.

[Laurie4b]

If so, who do you track? Spouse? Children?

If so, do you track them with their knowledge? Is it mutual tracking, i.e. do they also track you?

If so, why do you track them?

If not, why not?

If not, do you plan on tracking someone in the future?

 

There are now tons of smart phone applications that allow you to track others via the position of their cell phone. Some are for social networking, others are for safety or security. Still others are for retrieving a lost/stolen phone. There may be other reasons, as well.

 

We have a friend who mentioned to me that she tracks her son in college via his iPhone. When I asked her what he thought of that, she told me that he does not know. In thinking about this issue, I find that I can see many different sides to the subject.

 

Really I'm just wondering what people are doing today and what your thoughts are about this practice. :bigear:

 

I didn't know you could track people.

 

The only reason that I can think of that could possibly justify tracking of a teen or college-aged child would be if they have been into drugs and are trying to come out of it and need the accountability. I guess I can imagine some very dangerous-to-the-kid scenarios in which a parent far away from the offspring would need to know that they needed to move on something--again, hypothetically maybe being at the home of the guy who was his drug dealer kind of scenario. Maybe.

 

But in the normal course of things, the idea of parents tracking their college students or even teens at home without their knowledge seems bizarre and mentally unhealthy and intrusive on the parents' part. Again, if my teen had been in major trouble with drugs or something and we were trying out how far he had come in leaving the lifestyle, maybe I would consider it. (Maybe. I don't know because I haven't had to deal with that, for which I am thankful.)

 

I'm trying not to judge at a distance because I don't know the circumstances, but my first reaction is that it seems pretty sick to be tracking a college student without his knowledge. How does that differ from stalking? Technology allows her to do it from home, but to get the same info the old fashioned way, she'd have to be sneaking around campus at a discrete distance with her binoculars, spying on him. Doesn't the "old fashioned way" show the act to be bizarre and inappropriate?

 

I think that if I found out as a kid or a spouse that my loved one was tracking me without my knowledge, I'd be disgusted and furious and scared of how far they would go. I'd be "boundary setting" very strongly.

[Liz CA]

I have no idea if our sprint phones can do this. When I first read your post, I thought you meant calling spouse or sons/daughters and simply asking:

"Where are you?"...which we do. That is why we have cell phones.

 

Tracking an adult without their knowledge seems very odd to me. Even though, it could have helped me if my dh had tracked me a few months back when I got lost on the Sacramento business loop. :glare:

 

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Abusers in domestic violence situations have been using this technology for quite awhile to track their victims.

 

Scary.

 

No, I wouldn't track my husband. He is about to leave the country and I don't even know where he is going. I would totally like to put a Lojack on him just to know where he is......but I'm not. I'll just have to hear about it when he gets back.

 

I feel like (and this is MY opinion only!)...if you feel the need to track your spouse then maybe there is more going on that needs to be addressed.

[Mommyof4ks]

Tracking someone without their knowledge seems wrong to me, however I would love my hubby to be able to track me if I am broken down somewhere due to my inability to explain where I am well.

 

Onstar can track people, turn their engine off and unlock their doors, now that scares me lol.

[Julie in CA]

I admit that I do have tracking on my ds18's cell phone, BUT...lemme 'splain!

 

First of all, I, as payer of the cell phone bill, reserve the right to do whatever I want with MY phone. If ds decides to pay for his own phone, then no, I won't have the locator (obviously).

 

Secondly, my ds can indeed tell that I have logged in to locate him. His phone doesn't ring or vibrate, so it's completely unobtrusive, but it does light up briefly if I'm trying to locate him. It's not a secret, and I make no secret about when I do use it.

 

The last thing is the explanation about *why* I would ever track my 18 yo.

Well, this is a great kid. He's going to the local community college, working on our family farm, and for the most part, he's doing all the right stuff. One of the few things that he was doing that was a problem was arriving home late from his friend's house. Friend lives 45 minutes away, and he probably visits her and her family an average of one evening per week. He'd tell me one time, but then be consistently late by at least half an hour. It's not that the time he arrives home is a problem, just that because he'd tell me one time and then be home another, I never knew if he'd been in some kind of an accident, or if he was just running late. I also didn't want to be calling him to find out, and I also didn't want to be waiting up and wondering about his safety. In an effort not to be overly controlling, the locator was the compromise. Now if he's late, I can know that he's just not left yet. He's 18. I have no desire to determine exactly when he should be home, I just have a burning desire to go to bed knowing he's not sitting in a ditch somewhere on a dark country road.:001_smile:

 

The Verizon Locator is the nicest compromise we could come to regarding ds's independence during this stage while he's still our dependent, but is admittedly old enough to make more of his own decisions.

 

ETA: We do *not* have tracking on the phones of our kids who are consistently where they say they'll be.

Edited December 7, 2009 by Julie in CA

[Daisy]

I admit that I do have tracking on my ds18's cell phone, BUT...lemme 'splain!

 

First of all, I, as payer of the cell phone bill, reserve the right to do whatever I want with MY phone. If ds decides to pay for his own phone, then no, I won't have the locator (obviously).

 

Secondly, my ds can indeed tell that I have logged in to locate him. His phone doesn't ring or vibrate, so it's completely unobtrusive, but it does light up briefly if I'm trying to locate him. It's not a secret, and I make no secret about when I do use it.

 

The last thing is the explanation about *why* I would ever track my 18 yo.

Well, this is a great kid. He's going to the local community college, working on our family farm, and for the most part, he's doing all the right stuff. One of the few things that he was doing that was a problem was arriving home late from his friend's house. Friend lives 45 minutes away, and he probably visits her and her family an average of one evening per week. He'd tell me one time, but then be consistently late by at least half an hour. It's not that the time he arrives home is a problem, just that because he'd tell me one time and then be home another, I never knew if he'd been in some kind of an accident, or if he was just running late. I also didn't want to be calling him to find out, and I also didn't want to be waiting up and wondering about his safety. In an effort not to be overly controlling, the locator was the compromise. Now if he's late, I can know that he's just not left yet. He's 18. I have no desire to determine exactly when he should be home, I just have a burning desire to go to bed knowing he's not sitting in a ditch somewhere on a dark country road.:001_smile:

 

The Verizon Locator is the nicest compromise we could come to regarding ds's independence during this stage while he's still our dependent, but is admittedly old enough to make more of his own decisions.

 

ETA: We do *not* have tracking on the phones of our kids who are consistently where they say they'll be.

 

Okay, this sounds reasonable to me and the TWO of you reached an understanding about it. It isn't like you are tracking his every move behind his back. :001_smile:

[Peek a Boo]

I admit that I do have tracking on my ds18's cell phone, BUT...lemme 'splain!

 

First of all, I, as payer of the cell phone bill, reserve the right to do whatever I want with MY phone. If ds decides to pay for his own phone, then no, I won't have the locator (obviously).

 

Secondly, my ds can indeed tell that I have logged in to locate him. His phone doesn't ring or vibrate, so it's completely unobtrusive, but it does light up briefly if I'm trying to locate him. It's not a secret, and I make no secret about when I do use it.

 

The last thing is the explanation about *why* I would ever track my 18 yo.

Well, this is a great kid. He's going to the local community college, working on our family farm, and for the most part, he's doing all the right stuff. One of the few things that he was doing that was a problem was arriving home late from his friend's house. Friend lives 45 minutes away, and he probably visits her and her family an average of one evening per week. He'd tell me one time, but then be consistently late by at least half an hour. It's not that the time he arrives home is a problem, just that because he'd tell me one time and then be home another, I never knew if he'd been in some kind of an accident, or if he was just running late. I also didn't want to be calling him to find out, and I also didn't want to be waiting up and wondering about his safety. In an effort not to be overly controlling, the locator was the compromise. Now if he's late, I can know that he's just not left yet. He's 18. I have no desire to determine exactly when he should be home, I just have a burning desire to go to bed knowing he's not sitting in a ditch somewhere on a dark country road.:001_smile:

 

The Verizon Locator is the nicest compromise we could come to regarding ds's independence during this stage while he's still our dependent, but is admittedly old enough to make more of his own decisions.

 

ETA: We do *not* have tracking on the phones of our kids who are consistently where they say they'll be.

 

makes sense to me.

 

I do think I'd absolutely support using a tracking system on anyone on one of our phones. Even if I trust my dc/spouse, there are serious wackos out there who wouldn't think twice about hurting them, and accidents happen. I'd rather have it, know how to USE it, and not need it, than vice versa.

 

And if someone is on my dime, I absolutely do NOT think it is automatically crazy, appalling, intrusive, disgusting, over-the-top, weird, sick, bizarre, inappropriate, mentally unhealthy, or creepy. i agree that like any tool, it can be abused, but that would be a case-by-case basis. We certainly know little about the OP's friend's situation.

 

a truly healthy relationship wouldn't even blink at being tracked if there's nothing to hide. However, The role of the family is a far cry from the role of the gvt. ;)

Edited December 7, 2009 by Peek a Boo
just adding more words about how horrible this is as they come up :-)

[Peek a Boo]

Okay, this sounds reasonable to me and the TWO of you reached an understanding about it. It isn't like you are tracking his every move behind his back. :001_smile:

 

I'd say there's a time and place for THAT also.

 

but to answer the OP, no we haven't used this tool.

[ChristusG]

We do not do tracking (actually I didn't even know we *could* do it). But if I did, it would not be due to a lack of trust. It would be more of a safety feature.

[stripe]

I saw a very nice segment on a couple where the woman tracks the man (with his knowledge) as he has early Alzheimers, and it's allowed him much more independence and freedom of movement to leave the house; she gets a phone call when he goes outside a certain radius, so she can call and check that he's okay.

 

I honestly don't see the need for it for myself, but I can understand different situations may call for different solutions.

[JoyfulMama]

I recently learned about this via Verizon, and was a bit surprised about it, but after thinking about it, realized it could be a tool used to regain trust of someone (thinking teen and parent). My understanding of the Verizon program as as a PP wrote, that the holder of the phone would know that their location had been identified.

However, I do know a mom who most likely would want to have this on her 9yo's phone, if she doesn't already. He's had a phone for at least the last 3 years, as a safety tool for when he is visiting his father. For her, it would be a safety tool, to know if they are going where they are supposed to be going, or if they are leaving the state or country.

As far as an employer, I can understand the benefit of this. For example, a repair person could be identified as being at a specific job (say #3 of 4 for the day), without being interrupted. However, as a previous in-the-field worker, I wouldn't necessarily want my boss to know that when I am nearby XYZ town, I tend to take 10 minutes to run through my favorite store's sale rack, as it is out of the way normally.

[SonshineLearner]

We can track if we want to, and we did when the kids were younger. I think the advantage is good if your child is always with their phone. On our phone you can have it so that you are "GPS able" or not.... It's on the set up of the phone. So, if you leave it on... the phone company can find you in an emergency. If you have a husband or wife that strays.... I would say they could figure out how to make it work..... I don't really wanna babysit an adult.

When the kids were younger, when they were at their mom's ..... she didn't mind if they were gone for hours... with her at work... and no one would know where they had gone... for them....and us... it was great to be able to "know" that they were safe.... And... find them... if they went "missing".

Carrie:-)

[RegGuheert]

Well, um...stepping forward hesitantly....

I admit that I do have tracking on my ds18's cell phone, BUT...lemme 'splain!

Thanks for posting, Julie! After reading the first bunch of replies I was pretty sure NO ONE would admit to doing this! :tongue_smilie:

I have no desire to determine exactly when he should be home, I just have a burning desire to go to bed knowing he's not sitting in a ditch somewhere on a dark country road.:001_smile:

This is one reason I am interested in learning more about this capability. Several years ago, one of the teen-aged boys of a neighbor across the street disappeared without any trace. Three days later they found him dead in his car in a ditch about three miles from here on the road that everyone takes to get here from town. I would call this a heavily-traveled back road. When someone told me where he died, I could not imagine a car wrecking there and not being seen by everyone who drove by. Next time I drove by there I looked. Sure enough, the ditch there could easily conceal a car. Very sad.

We certainly know little about the OP's friend's situation.

That's correct. I purposefully left the details out since I wanted to get more unbiased opinions on this subject. I won't give all the details, but I would characterize the situation like this: This young man has some learning disabilities which result in the need for special assistance to navigate the campus, among other things. The mother is the type of person who I have difficulty thinking *anything* bad about. The more I know her, the more I like her! Regarding why she didn't tell him about the tracking, I did not ask her. Based on what I know about both of them, I suspect she did not ask him or tell him because she probably felt that if she told him he would remove the software and she feels that might put him in danger. Finally, the son is attending VA Tech and he started attending in the fall after the massive shooting there. I don't know if this affected her decision, but it might have.

 

Like I said, I can kind of see both sides in her case. I do not have experience dealing with a child like hers so I really cannot relate to that situation. I sometimes do not agree with how she interacts with him, but I have to admit that I have difficulty interacting with him myself, so I'm not sure what being his parent would mean.

 

Regarding what we do here: MomsintheGarden, DS19, DD17 and I all have smartphones with the capability for tracking. MomsintheGarden and I each have a program installed that allows for GPS tracking from a website. I tested it one time. It was pretty amazing, as it was able to create a rabbit trail showing me walk from the house to the mailbox and back and finally showing the position of the phone in the kitchen on a satellite view of our property on Google Maps! :eek: It's been over a year since I did that test. Now I'm wondering if I can even remember what website to go to for tracking in case of an emergency. :confused: (There are MANY programs to do this, so it's could be any one of a number of sites.) We do not have tracking on DS19's phone, but he may have installed something himself. DD17 just got her phone. We are discussing with her whether or not she wants to enable such a feature when she goes to college.

[PinkInTheBlue]

No, I definitely would not track my husband. However, once our boys are old enough to be out and about on their own and still under my care and supervision I will definitely check from time to time to be certain they are where they say. I will tell them I have ability and that I will use it from time to time. Once they are adults and under their own care, I won't be paying for their phones and thereby definitely not checking on them. They won't be checking in to tell me where they are or permission to go anywhere anyway. :)

 

I know we've had this discussion multiple times here but I am in the camp that has no problem verifying the word of a teen. My parents checked on rare occasions to be certain I was where I said and with who I said. I think it was a good idea.

[Audrey]

No. I wouldn't use it to spy on my family. The example given of tracking a grown son is kind of creepy, IMO. Tracking people without their knowledge is creepy. Tracking an adult without their knowledge should be illegal AFAIC. If you think your spouse is out dogging around on you, it still doesn't make it okay for you to go spying on them. If you don't think your spouse is cheating and you still track them without their consent.... well, you have some problems of your own to work out.

 

That said, my work can track me through my BB. They pay for it, so what the hey. I also have been fully informed that they can do that. I do have the option of turning it off, whereupon they would then be unable to track me. Frankly, I don't care either way, since I knew the deal when accepting the phone. But, they also stipulate that they won't track outside of business hours. So, again... what the hey.

 

I also don't mind the tracking feature if used to locate a lost/stolen phone, or if someone is in an emergency situation. Those 2 aren't violating privacy.

[keptwoman]

No. I wouldn't use it to spy on my family. The example given of tracking a grown son is kind of creepy, IMO. Tracking people without their knowledge is creepy. Tracking an adult without their knowledge should be illegal AFAIC.

I agree. I'm shocked it's not illegal. I think it's a matter of technology being faster than the law.

[Bev in B'ville]

to keep track of my 16 yo dd who's attending a local CC this year. I don't actively spy on her, but I do have, for example, her school tagged. I know when she arrives and leaves (I get a text message). I think of it as a safety measure for now. She's a new driver; there's a lot of construction on the road between our house and the CC. If I don't get a message after I know she should have arrived at school, then I go online and look at where she is, just to make sure there hasn't been an accident. Also, we have a lot of property and I can locate her on the property if I need to find her (we can't always hear phones ringing over the sounds of tractors and toys (ATV's or motorcycles).

 

I will do this with my son as well when he begins driving. I would never do this to my dh without his knowledge and permission. Even if I wanted to track someone that didn't want to be tracked, they could (at least with Verizon) deny the request on their phone permanently. When we set this up for dd's phone we had to literally program her phone to accept the queries.

 

For a minor child, I have no problem using this. When my dd leaves home to go to college I certainly won't use it except perhaps to track her progress when she's coming home for breaks :) (not that I'm going to be anxious to see her - well, yes, I will). Same for ds.

[Jan in SC]

MY 9yo ds has a cell phone for the tracking ability and for emergencies. We live in a very large neighborhood and he can ride his bike to a friend's house or to my parent's house. This gives him the freedom to get a nice bike ride and choose the route and we have the ability to know where he is if he doesn't arrive on time.

 

(We have never needed to check it though, as he always calls when he gets there!)

 

This is the only time he uses his phone!

[AuntPol]

THought about if for our kids -they are wanting to increase their boundaries for roaming neighborhood.

 

Would like it with my husband, with his knowledge, because he travels a lot, and well to be honest, we have some major trust issues that are in need of repairing. I would not do it if there were not trust issues or do it unless it was mutual/

 

We are thinking of putting one on a business partner's company phone because there is major reasons to think something fishy is going on but having hard time gathering proof.

Edited December 7, 2009 by AuntPol

[Peek a Boo]

I'm shocked it's not illegal. I think it's a matter of technology being faster than the law.

 

nah. Our legal system allows all kinds of heinous acts that people think are a RIGHT.

 

those shock me far more than letting private parties track another's whereabouts.

[athena1277]

I would never do it to spy on my spouse. However, I would love to be able to look up in the evening to see if dh had left work yet or not. He has a 45 min commute, and it would make fixing dinner and planning evening activities easier if I could know without calling (pestering :D) him if he had not left yet, or was nearly home.

[RegGuheert]

With Android, I'm pretty sure this could be accomplished without any remote tracking. There are applications that let you trigger certain things to happen when the position of the phone moves into or out of a target. If your husband had a phone like this, he could probably program it to do something like send you a text message with the time whenever he moved outside a certain radius of his office. To prevent annoying texts, you could have it only trigger from 4:00 PM until midnight or some such.

 

If there isn't such a program existing, it would be quite easy to create one.

[Parrothead]

Nope, I think it is weird, intrusive and possibly illegal. Sheesh, now people have to give their celluar's to friends, leave them home or turn them off so they aren't tracked. What is the point in having one then?

[swimmermom3]

makes sense to me.

 

I do think I'd absolutely support using a tracking system on anyone on one of our phones. Even if I trust my dc/spouse, there are serious wackos out there who wouldn't think twice about hurting them, and accidents happen. I'd rather have it, know how to USE it, and not need it, than vice versa.

 

And if someone is on my dime, I absolutely do NOT think it is automatically crazy, appalling, intrusive, disgusting, over-the-top, weird, sick, bizarre, inappropriate, mentally unhealthy, or creepy. i agree that like any tool, it can be abused, but that would be a case-by-case basis. We certainly know little about the OP's friend's situation.

 

a truly healthy relationship wouldn't even blink at being tracked if there's nothing to hide. However, The role of the family is a far cry from the role of the gvt. ;)

 

Wrong. I am the happily married mother of three children with no truly horrific or harmful vices. My hamster wheel includes pools, grocery store and home. I would considering inflicting serious harm on the bright family member who tracked me. I am with people all day and night. Beloved children stand outside the bathroom door and talk to me. On the rare days I am allowed solitude, everyone calls me 20 times to see if I miss them or perhaps they are missing me or more likely they can't find something or someplace. My family knows where I am 23.5 hours of the day. The idea of the intrusion of being tracked makes me want to scream. Allowing a person no privacy is not healthy. Why the assumption that a person has something to hide?

[mirth]

The idea of the intrusion of being tracked makes me want to scream. Allowing a person no privacy is not healthy. Why the assumption that a person has something to hide?

 

I've heard this sort of tracking termed as "geoslavery". Can't say I agree with that pejorative but did want to add that there are RFID chips in a lot of inanimate objects like passports, credit cards which can be used to "check in on" that item (or see what other sort of items it is currently grouped with).

 

A really good tracking application is not so much where a person is, but how fast they are going. This is more a GPS application (I don't think cell phone towers can match satellite breadcrumbing as tightly, or as fast.) Suppose your teen just got a car. Would you want to know if he drives 85mph most of the time? I can see that UPS would want to know info such as this. Sadly (or happily as the case may be), there are even GPS apps which make use of velocity and direction data and will audibly alert you as to upcoming speedtraps.

[in Training in Texas]

It depends on your relationship, your situation and your motives.

[swimmermom3]

I've heard this sort of tracking termed as "geoslavery". Can't say I agree with that pejorative but did want to add that there are RFID chips in a lot of inanimate objects like passports, credit cards which can be used to "check in on" that item (or see what other sort of items it is currently grouped with).

 

A really good tracking application is not so much where a person is, but how fast they are going. This is more a GPS application (I don't think cell phone towers can match satellite breadcrumbing as tightly, or as fast.) Suppose your teen just got a car. Would you want to know if he drives 85mph most of the time? I can see that UPS would want to know info such as this. Sadly (or happily as the case may be), there are even GPS apps which make use of velocity and direction data and will audibly alert you as to upcoming speedtraps.

 

I think in our obsession to keep our loved ones "safe" we often cross lines concerning that whole "free will" issue or what makes a person a person. My comment wasn't meant to be a debate point. Statement of an opinion: I have nothing to hide hide and would still resent be tracked by my family for "my safety." In the meantime I shall relish my ability to stop for 15 minutes at the bird sanctuary to gather my thoughts...and not have to explain that when I get home. I guess I would want my teen to drive the speed limit because they could see for themselves the reason for doing so not because big mother was watching.

[mirth]

I think in our obsession to keep our loved ones "safe" we often cross lines concerning that whole "free will" issue or what makes a person a person.

 

I should've stated that in no way do I believe any of this cell phone tracking is explicitly for a person's safety. Of course it is being nosy; it is just a form of surveillance. If one really thought someone were going into danger, short of a bodyguard, one would buy them a personal safety beacon (PSB) that they could use to alert all sort of rescue within minutes.

Edited December 7, 2009 by mirth

[PineFarmMom]

I wouldn't do that to an adult child. If I was paying for college and there was a break in trust and I was doubting the wise use of my $$, then maybe?? The only way I think I'd do it with one of my youngers is if I had a reason not to trust them.

[Peek a Boo]

Wrong. I am the happily married mother of three children with no truly horrific or harmful vices.......Allowing a person no privacy is not healthy. Why the assumption that a person has something to hide?

 

I still disagree.

 

you literally want to "hide." that's not the same as someone respecting your privacy.

 

How does loved ones knowing where you are w/o intruding on you violate your privacy in a healthy relationship?

 

In a healthy relationship you can simply say "I'm going to take some time for myself. Feel free to track me but I want peace and quiet for the next 3 hours, so please don't interrupt me unless it's an emergency."

 

Real Privacy can be respected --or disrespected-- whether you are being tracked or not.

 

sounds reasonable to me.

[Peek a Boo]

I should've stated that in no way do I believe any of this cell phone tracking is explicitly for a person's safety. Of course it is being nosy; it is just a form of surveillance. If one really thought someone were going into danger, short of a bodyguard, one would buy them a personal safety beacon (PSB) that they could use to alert all sort of rescue within minutes.

 

why would I buy another device when i have a tool that can be utilized immediately and serves multiple purposes? What if they can't use the PSB because they are INCAPABLE of using it for a myriad of horrific reasons? that wouldn't be very effective.

[Peek a Boo]

I think in our obsession to keep our loved ones "safe" we often cross lines concerning that whole "free will" issue or what makes a person a person.

a person is a person even if people know where you are, and your free will isn't being infringed unless the data is being used AGAINST you.

 

My comment wasn't meant to be a debate point. Statement of an opinion: I have nothing to hide hide and would still resent be tracked by my family for "my safety." In the meantime I shall relish my ability to stop for 15 minutes at the bird sanctuary to gather my thoughts...and not have to explain that when I get home. I guess I would want my teen to drive the speed limit because they could see for themselves the reason for doing so not because big mother was watching.

 

That's where I would see deeper issues than tracking devices. Why would you "have to explain" instead of just share as a normal course of conversation??

 

and sure-- it's nice when people do the right thing because it's the right thing to do. But our society recognizes that's a utopian ideal and not realistic. So we institute tests, due dates, licensing organizations, courts, and a host of other checks in all areas of our life.

[Peek a Boo]

Nope, I think it is weird, intrusive and possibly illegal. Sheesh, now people have to give their celluar's to friends, leave them home or turn them off so they aren't tracked. What is the point in having one then?

 

um.....If you don't want to be tracked then disable that option.

 

If you feel you have to leave your phone w/ friends, at home, or turn it off just so someone won't know exactly where you are, then it sounds like there's deeper issues at stake.

 

and yes, i realize that there often ARE deeper issues at stake.

[RegGuheert]

Big brother (either government or corporate) has been able to track us via our cell phones for some years now. I find it interesting that now that we have the ability to use some of this tracking technology for our own purposes (whatever they may be), these *same* cell phones are considered evil incarnate.

 

Personally, I'm MUCH more comfortable with MomsintheGarden tracking me than the government or Google or my employer.

[Peek a Boo]

Big brother (either government or corporate) has been able to track us via our cell phones for some years now. I find it interesting that now that we have the ability to use some of this tracking technology for our own purposes (whatever they may be), these *same* cell phones are considered evil incarnate.

 

Personally, I'm MUCH more comfortable with MomsintheGarden tracking me than the government or Google or my employer.

 

aw, it's ok Reg--

everyone's gotta have their pet peeves.

This just happens to be one for quite a few here.

 

And that's ok. ;)

[swimmermom3]

If so, who do you track? Spouse? Children?

If so, do you track them with their knowledge? Is it mutual tracking, i.e. do they also track you?

If so, why do you track them?

If not, why not?

If not, do you plan on tracking someone in the future?

 

There are now tons of smart phone applications that allow you to track others via the position of their cell phone. Some are for social networking, others are for safety or security. Still others are for retrieving a lost/stolen phone. There may be other reasons, as well.

 

We have a friend who mentioned to me that she tracks her son in college via his iPhone. When I asked her what he thought of that, she told me that he does not know. In thinking about this issue, I find that I can see many different sides to the subject.

 

Really I'm just wondering what people are doing today and what your thoughts are about this practice. :bigear:

 

 

Big brother (either government or corporate) has been able to track us via our cell phones for some years now. I find it interesting that now that we have the ability to use some of this tracking technology for our own purposes (whatever they may be), these *same* cell phones are considered evil incarnate.

 

Personally, I'm MUCH more comfortable with MomsintheGarden tracking me than the government or Google or my employer.

 

aw, it's ok Reg--

everyone's gotta have their pet peeves.

This just happens to be one for quite a few here.

 

And that's ok. ;)

 

Oh man! Usual sound of head smacking on desktop.:lol: I've been on this forum long enough to know better. RegGuheert, you didn't really want anyone's opinions did you? This was a platform, not a thread for discussion.

 

Peek, you've got me. Yes, my relationship with my family is horrible and I am hiding.:lol: Your logic that anyone who did not want to be tracked by family members was involved in an unhealthy relationship is infallible.

[Laurie4b]

I admit that I do have tracking on my ds18's cell phone, BUT...lemme 'splain!

 

First of all, I, as payer of the cell phone bill, reserve the right to do whatever I want with MY phone. If ds decides to pay for his own phone, then no, I won't have the locator (obviously).

 

Secondly, my ds can indeed tell that I have logged in to locate him. His phone doesn't ring or vibrate, so it's completely unobtrusive, but it does light up briefly if I'm trying to locate him. It's not a secret, and I make no secret about when I do use it.

 

The last thing is the explanation about *why* I would ever track my 18 yo.

Well, this is a great kid. He's going to the local community college, working on our family farm, and for the most part, he's doing all the right stuff. One of the few things that he was doing that was a problem was arriving home late from his friend's house. Friend lives 45 minutes away, and he probably visits her and her family an average of one evening per week. He'd tell me one time, but then be consistently late by at least half an hour. It's not that the time he arrives home is a problem, just that because he'd tell me one time and then be home another, I never knew if he'd been in some kind of an accident, or if he was just running late. I also didn't want to be calling him to find out, and I also didn't want to be waiting up and wondering about his safety. In an effort not to be overly controlling, the locator was the compromise. Now if he's late, I can know that he's just not left yet. He's 18. I have no desire to determine exactly when he should be home, I just have a burning desire to go to bed knowing he's not sitting in a ditch somewhere on a dark country road.:001_smile:

 

The Verizon Locator is the nicest compromise we could come to regarding ds's independence during this stage while he's still our dependent, but is admittedly old enough to make more of his own decisions.

 

ETA: We do *not* have tracking on the phones of our kids who are consistently where they say they'll be.

 

This situation isn't anything like tracking your grown son at college without his knowledge. It's an agreement between the two of you for your peace of mind and his convenience and greater independence.

[RegGuheert]

Oh man! Usual sound of head smacking on desktop.:lol: I've been on this forum long enough to know better. RegGuheert, you didn't really want anyone's opinions did you? This was a platform, not a thread for discussion.

Huh? :confused: When I said I was wondering what people are doing and what they thought, I *never* said I would agree with everyone. I'm pretty sure that would be IMPOSSIBLE on the WTM forums! :001_smile:

 

So are you saying that if I ask the question, I'm not allowed to voice my opinion? Or perhaps did you think I don't HAVE an opinion on this subject? :lol: I feel that if I start a discussion with my opinion, it biases the discussion. So if I'm trying to learn what others think, I try not to interject too much of my thinking into the first post.

 

Please don't read me as pro-tracking. I'm not. I have mixed feelings about this subject, as I mentioned up front. But the feelings ARE mixed. I do not see this as the black-and-white issue that many here portray it as. Like Peek a Boo, I see cell phones as tools and the issues related to their use or misuse have to do with the people using them.

 

As subjects go, I'm probably much more balanced on this one than many things we could be discussing! :D

 

Finally, I will say that I believe one of the most daunting aspects of being a homeschooling Mom is the utter lack of freedom. MomsintheGarden is constantly surrounded by little Guheerts and often wishes she could FOR ONCE go to the bathroom without an interruption. I hear that coming through some of the posts in this thread, but I still am surprised at some of the venom reserved for this subject.

[Bev in B'ville]

I agree that tracking an adult is intrusive, but if my dh wanted to track me (and I ENABLED that function on my cell phone for him to do so), I would be fine with it. I have nothing to hide. He already knows where I go everyday, even with him being out of town most of the time.

 

For my children, however, I have the responsibility of knowing where they are at all times. For someone under 18, there's no privacy. They do not live in a democracy at my house, they live in a benevolent dictatorship. I monitor the internet and where they go on the internet, why would I not be concerned about where they go IRL? When they go out, I ask the standard "who, what, where, when, why, how" type questions every parent should ask before their children go out. Having a 16 yo dd out and about, and dating means I pay more attention to what she's doing, not less. It's not an issue of trust, but more one of safety. However, I'm not one of those naive parents who has their head in the sand saying "not my little angel" when it comes to teenagers. Teenagers make bad judgment calls sometimes, their reasoning skills aren't fully developed until somewhere around the age of 21. It's my job as a parent to protect them and raise them until they leave home and, hopefully, know enough about safety at that point to follow basic rules (such as don't walk alone on campus at night; always let someone know where you're going to be and what time to expect you, etc.)

 

There's also other conveniences with tracking. One day my 16 yo dd was lost. She pulled into a parking lot and called me. I located her on the map and then gave her turn by turn directions on how to get to the store she was trying to locate. Also, as I mentioned in my post below, we have a good amount of acreage and when dc are out riding (horses, atv's, dirt bikes) I have the peace of mind of knowing if they are late coming back I can find them quickly. Those minutes could save their lives if they had an accident.

 

If my dh thought I was sneaking around and going somewhere I shouldn't and wanted to track me, if it gave him peace of mind I would say sure, no problem. I have nothing to hide nor do I try to do so in my marriage. Now, if I were, say Tiger Woods or John Edwards.....:lol:

[mirth]

why would I buy another device when i have a tool that can be utilized immediately and serves multiple purposes? What if they can't use the PSB because they are INCAPABLE of using it for a myriad of horrific reasons? that wouldn't be very effective.

 

I'm answering at a GPS enthusiast. I'm not into the good vs. evil use aspects.

 

Those three NFL football players who went deep-sea fishing by themselves and got into trouble and 2/3 were lost at sea suffered tremedously by not bring a PSB with them. I'm sure one or all had cell phones on them, but it was no help.

 

PSBs are best when you're in an area of spotty or non-existent cell phone coverage. PSBs also rely on satellite tracking. (Cell phones use towers to triangulate. A WAAS-enabled GPS device can determine its location anywhere on earth to about 8 feet. Cell phone accuracy and pinging, depending on the # of towers nearby could be as low as 4-5 miles. The more cell towers there are, the better.) PSBs are designed not to be used except in emergencies so its power supply is always fresh. Most PSBs are designed to be tough, weatherable, and some for marine use (they will float and keep sending out a signal) A PSB's signal ("identity") is unique, and can be pre-loaded with user info. So all emergency rescue immediately know exactly who they are looking for -- name, age, medical conditions and the exact spot on earth this guy last sent a distress signal from.

 

Even amongst PSBs there are debates on what is a "good-enough" safety device. There's SPOT which sends signals out routinely and something like ACR PSBs which are push-this-button-once-and-the-cavalry-is-coming sort of devices.

 

So tracking via cells is decent as your first line surveillance if you're into this.

 

And yes if a person is injured to the point they cannot activate their PSB, this is bad. I'm sure they'd be glad that someone is watching over them in any sense.

[Peek a Boo]

Oh man! Usual sound of head smacking on desktop.:lol: I've been on this forum long enough to know better. RegGuheert, you didn't really want anyone's opinions did you? This was a platform, not a thread for discussion.

 

Peek, you've got me. Yes, my relationship with my family is horrible and I am hiding.:lol: Your logic that anyone who did not want to be tracked by family members was involved in an unhealthy relationship is infallible.

 

now, now.... ;)

 

of COURSE people who usually ask questions already have some sort of opinion about it, but many of us are interested in hearing other people's opinions too, even if we don't agree with them.

 

and notice i never said your family's relationship was horrible--

but my logic is just as 'infallible' as everyone who has said that people who are willing to use these tracking devices is creepy, disgusting, shocking, etc: it's merely an opinion.

 

I happen to think that your inability to get a little respectful quiet time is not a reflection of any tracking device, but something that reflects other issues. And as i mentioned- if one has other issues in a relationship, then of COURSE you wouldn't want to mess with tracking. I wouldn't blame you for disabling any tracking if your family can't respect your right to privacy in the first place. Others who have open lines of communication and solid understandings w/ family members won't care.

ya do whatcha gotta do.:001_smile:

[Peek a Boo]

PSBs are best when you're in an area of spotty or non-existent cell phone coverage. PSBs also rely on satellite tracking. (Cell phones use towers to triangulate. A WAAS-enabled GPS device can determine its location anywhere on earth to about 8 feet. Cell phone accuracy and pinging, depending on the # of towers nearby could be as low as 4-5 miles. The more cell towers there are, the better.) .......

 

So tracking via cells is decent as your first line surveillance if you're into this.

 

And yes if a person is injured to the point they cannot activate their PSB, this is bad. I'm sure they'd be glad that someone is watching over them in any sense.

 

I totally agree that if you're ever going into a unique situation of low cell reception, a PSB would be great. But since most of us are carrying cell phones anyway and don't usually stray too far from cell tower areas, a PSB would be extraneous. So the tracking via cell phones just makes a tool we are already carrying most of the time more effective, that's all :)

[sheryl]

If so, who do you track? Spouse? Children?

If so, do you track them with their knowledge? Is it mutual tracking, i.e. do they also track you?

If so, why do you track them?

If not, why not?

If not, do you plan on tracking someone in the future?

 

There are now tons of smart phone applications that allow you to track others via the position of their cell phone. Some are for social networking, others are for safety or security. Still others are for retrieving a lost/stolen phone. There may be other reasons, as well.

 

We have a friend who mentioned to me that she tracks her son in college via his iPhone. When I asked her what he thought of that, she told me that he does not know. In thinking about this issue, I find that I can see many different sides to the subject.

 

Really I'm just wondering what people are doing today and what your thoughts are about this practice. :bigear:

 

 

This is very interesting...kudos for the concept. We've had a mobile phone since they were afforable, maybe 15 years??? I've only recently learned about tracking, so I never thought about tracking myself. My dh's company just gave him a mobile phone and I don't know if it tracks him. Lastly, our 10+ dd does NOT have a mobile phone as she's always in the presence of one or both of us. However, I've thought about this for about 2 years....the time will come, well, yes, with each passing moment she's becoming more independent. Hence, she'll be out of our presence at greater stretches of time and location. She goes 2 houses down to a neighbor friend's house and that's it for walking somewhere "by herself" w/o me "dropping her off" somewhere. So.....probably when she turns 11 next May we'll get her a mobile phone. It W*I*L*L have gps embedded in her phone. I checked 2 years ago for the phone and found one as described above.

 

 

who do you track? Spouse? Children?

If so, do you track them with their knowledge? Yes, my dd will know and if my dh and I get tracking then we all would know we all have it! :001_smile:

Is it mutual tracking, i.e. do they also track you?

If so, why do you track them? I love my dh and dd and they love me. We want to protect each other...security reasons!

If not, why not?

If not, do you plan on tracking someone in the future? Above, dd in near future.

 

BTW, after this lengthy response is tracking the same as gps???? I'm answering these questions pertaining to gps...