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Does your BlackBerry have GPS? If so, do you know who’s tracking you? Okay, so that sounds a bit paranoid. But in an age where location based technology is becoming more widespread, there exists the potential for abuse. This is something we discussed on our sister site, Going Cellular. While I love what GPS brings to the table — and hate Verizon for crippling the unit in my 8830 — I can’t ignore the possible evils that come along with it. Today, I’ll go over some issues to think about regarding GPS on your BlackBerry.

Subpoenaing of GPS records

There doesn’t seem to be much of a precedent for admitting private GPS records into evidence. Most of what we’ve seen comes from GPS units installed by law enforcement, as in the case of Scott Peterson, and from GPS units belonging to public entities, as in the a New York City worker who falsified his time sheets. Even in the murder case of Tamara Greene, the GPS records sought are from publicly issued phones.

However, just because it’s not happening now doesn’t mean it never will. Take E-ZPass records, for example. They have been subpoenaed in divorce hearings, and have been admitted as evidence. So one can only wonder how far off GPS records are. True, the agreement with E-ZPass is more of a rental agreement, which probably gives the company more of a right to hand over the data. I’m just interested to see a high-profile case, say a murder, where we could find out the accused’s whereabouts via GPS records. Will a court allow it then? Will it be constitutional?

Government access to GPS records

Whenever the subject of government spying comes up, some people start making tin foil hats (while others joke about it). But there is some justification to this paranoia. Earlier this year, it was exposed that a government agency in Quantico, Virginia had unfettered access to a wireless carrier’s data. The government office that first comes to mind is the FBI Academy. According to the report, the agency had access, without restriction, to “customers’ voice calls, data packets and physical movements.”

While it isn’t known how this data can be used against citizens, it is clear that this is something new in crime prevention. Previously, a warrant was needed by any law enforcement agency to gain such access to a citizen’s information. But with this unfettered access, coupled with the legislation proposing immunity for telecoms in warrantless wiretapping cases, the paradigm if shifting. With GPS units becoming more common, it seems that privacy conversations need to be reopened.

PIN based tracking?

I’ve been talking to a number of BlackBerry users lately, and one thing we seem to hit on in regards to GPS is whether or not it’s feasible that you could track someone via their PIN. No one I have spoken with is savvy enough to figure out how to do this, but the consensus is that someone, somewhere could probably figure it out.

For the moment, I’m not too worried. Exhaustive searching has turned up nothing. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It just means that it’s not widespread enough to the point where a crazy ex-lover could track you through tour BB PIN.

I’m a bit more concerned about GPS social networking services like Blip. Yes, you can control who sees you. But there is still room for foul play. What if someone gets a hold of your BlackBerry and changes your settings? Or what if they can hack into the software remotely? It seems more feasible than PIN-based tracking, at least. And while it might be a malignant threat, it still seems worth discussing, if only to make people aware of the possibility.

Of course, there are plenty of benefits of GPS, and we shouldn’t let potential issues of abuse ruin our use of the technology. In no way, shape, or form would I advocate avoiding GPS because of the harm that can be done with it. Rather, it’s more about raising awareness. The more we know about the technology, the better we’ll be able to use it.

Photo of tin foil hat by Flickr user kevincollins, used under a Creative Commons license.

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