Real-Time Tracking, Real-Time Benefits

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.