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GPS Phone Carriers Assume Possible Risk And Reward
[January 08, 2011]

GPS Phone Carriers Assume Possible Risk And Reward


(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) ANDREWS AFB, Md., Jan. 7 -- The U.S. Air Force District of Washington issued the following news release: The rings of his Blackberry interrupted 844th Communications Group Deputy Director Charles Elmore's hunting trip in Orange County, Va. It was early December 2009, and Mr. Elmore wasn't expecting a call while hunting on his friend's farmland. But there it was, a persistent, classical, "ring-ring-ring" sound alerting all local game to his presence.



"I picked it up, kind of surprised by getting any calls at all," said Mr. Elmore. "And the person on the other end was an emergency dispatcher." Mr. Elmore's phone had been triggered to call 911 while in his pocket. The 911 dispatcher returned his call in short order, asking how serious the issue was. Mr. Elmore reassured the dispatcher that everything was fine and he needed no help from emergency management services or law enforcement.

"Something was off, though," said Mr. Elmore. "They kept asking if they could send anyone to my location, without asking what the location was." After asking how they knew where he was, the dispatcher informed Mr. Elmore that they can locate most incoming cell phone calls with imbedded GPS devices. The responders knew exactly where Mr. Elmore was, even when he was far from a major city.


This capability was made law in 2005 by the Federal Communications Commission. As part of enhanced 911 emergency response, or e911 regulations, 95 percent of cellular phones in the hands of consumers are required to be GPS traceable.

Emergency responders aren't the only ones that can use cell phones to find out more about you. Pictures, texts, phone calls, tweets and facebook posts can all be associated with a specific latitude and longitude in the phone's memory. For many aplpications and cellular device based programs, logging GPS coordinates with voice recordings, pictures, tweets and social media posts occurs by default. When this happens, the coordinates are forever affiliated with the media posted to the web from a cell phone and available to anyone who can view your online social media, or photo collection website.

Many web-based programs and mobile applications, such as Google , Foursquare, Flickr and Facebook can lead criminals to your doorstep if used without any precaution. While there aren't any specific AFI's instructing Airmen how to use GPS devices on duty, many OPSEC rules apply to geotagging and location based software.

Government issued phones have no GPS capability, according to the 844th Communications Group, and most do not have cameras installed. Turning off one or both of these functions on your personal cellular device will which eliminate some of the risk.

"This is a pretty powerful tool, so it's good to know when you're actually being tracked," said 844th Communications Group voice switch manager Gregory Coulter. "Any 911 call made from Andrews Air Force Base on a cell phone can be tracked to your location by [Prince George's County] police." Soon, Andrews Air Force Base, Md. 11th Wing Security Forces Squadron personnel will also be alerted to your exact location, if an emergency call is placed on a cell phone while on base.

Latitude and longitude associated with online content provides a powerful data set to would-be attackers. Studying one person can lend insight to their routine, place of work and residence. Aggregated data from several servicemembers in one unit can reveal the exact location and disposition of military forces.

"The important part about this is to realize how much information carrying around a GPS can give other people," said Mr. Elmore. "I'd hope everyone gets familiar with their devices so they know what information they are broadcasting." by Benjamin Newell AFDW/PA TNS MJ88-JF78-110108-3177171 StaffFurigay (c) 2011 Targeted News Service

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