Real-time data tracking on cell phone use is an inevitable
component of our immensely digital world. Every time a phone call, message or
download occurs, a signal is sent which can then be detected (or intercepted). Accepting
technological innovations into our everyday lives comes at the cost of exposing
our information into cyber space. Marketers already tailor ads and collect our
personal information based on our web browsing history and interests posted on
social media sites. Because phone companies and online marketers already detect
our digital footprint, I see no problem with allowing real-time data tracking
to be used by police enforcement.
Of course the main argument against this mindset is that
real-time tracking will reveal where you are and what you are doing at all
times. This, in theory, would mean that if someone got hold of this tracking
information, they would have an easier time of kidnapping you or knowing what
your doing. If this information was required by phone companies, however, there
is no doubt in my mind that extreme measures would be made to ensure that this
information is safe, and only accessed when needed. Officials would have to
exterminate this imminent fear the public would have with proof that their
tracking details were extremely secure and in the right hands.
The benefits
of real-time tracking greatly outweigh the benefits of making this information
private. After any crime occurs, whether it’s a high-speed car chase or a
shoplifting incident at the local convenience store, police officials would be
able to access information regarding the exact location of where the criminal
is. The criminal would then be able to be found, arrested and taken off the
streets to improve the overall welfare of the community and its residents’
safety. If this information were private, an otherwise preventable and
dangerous situation could be prolonged.
Even without real-time data tracking, people already market
where they are and what they’re doing at multiple times in the day. Tweets,
status updates and picture uploads make it clear to the world where someone may
find you. Unless you can honestly say that you participate in none of these
activities, and that you never share any information about your whereabouts
online, then I don’t see why you would be opposed to real-time tracking. The
information being relayed with real-time tracking is not much more revealing
than what the average person normally posts themselves, and the information
will be in much safer hands
Agreeing to integrate technology into your life means
agreeing to have a digital footprint. Real-time data tracking, when kept in the
secure hands of the police,
is more of a benefit than a harm to the overall good and our overall safety. To
ensure your own safety, it is important to not give any personal information to
online sites that may not be as protected. In my opinion, identity theft and
kidnappings are more likely to happen from our own mistakes than from the
hacking of real-time data tracking from police officials.
