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GPS Tracking Raises Questions Of Privacy

BOSTON (WBZ) ― Cell phones today are not just for making calls. They are loaded with programs like Web access, e-mail, and games. And due to federal regulations, all new mobile phones must have a way to locate their owners in an emergency. Most carriers have decided to equip their phones with a GPS or Global Positioning System.

But if emergency crews can find you with GPS technology, could some hacker track your every move without you knowing it?

"I'd suspect so," said privacy expert Jiran Parikh.

That's because today's cell phones are like mini-computers.

"It happened on the Internet. We're tracking other people's keyboard usages, where they going on Web sites, hacking into their e-mail," Parikh explained. "The same thing is going to happen with these devices."

There is spyware that allows someone to hack into a cell phone -- if you can get access to the actual phone -- to access text messages, photos, and now your location. It's not necessarily illegal.

"There's not a particular statute that says these are the boundaries for GPS uses," says Dorothy Bollinger, a lawyer specializing in technology law.

Most wireless experts say that right now, the privacy risk involving your cell phone GPS is very low. And there are some new uses for this technology that are not only safe, but pretty cool.

One of them is the Buddy Beacon. It was developed by the Boston-based company, Ulocate.

The software allows you to pinpoint friends on a map on your cell phone. Buddy Beacon is like Facebook for your phone -- another way to share information.

Like Facebook, you must invite people to join your GPS group, and they must accept.

How secure is this program?

"The Buddy Beacon is not a tracking application. We're not out to see where you are all day long and create a little bread crumb trail," said ULocate Vice President Dan Gilmartin.

This program comes free on all I-Phones. Buddy Beacon can be downloaded for a fee on most other phones.

 Learn more about Buddy Beacon

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