How to Remove a GPS Tracking Background
Modern Global Positioning System, or GPS, technology is evolving -- along with the concerns over privacy and personal security it raises. Most people are familiar with navigation systems in cars, which rely on GPS technology. Most know that many cell phones incorporate GPS technology. But GPS technology is now embedded in many consumer electronic devices, such as computers. Now GPS trackers, small enough to be held in your hand, are available from electronics companies that can be attached to cars, placed in personal belongings such as purses or even be downloaded onto phones to track children, spouses, employees or anyone without their knowledge.
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Instructions
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Your car navigation system can be a tool for you or for others keeping track of you. Remove the disc from your car navigation system and keep it in a CD case when you are not using it. Car navigation systems use a disc to translate raw GPS signals into usable mapping data. Anyone who is in your car, including valets, can often find your home address and directions with the touch of a button. Remove the disc when you are not in the car and the best they can do is find various coordinates of longitude and latitude. If you are concerned about a tracking history on your navigation system, simply consult your owners manual on how to clear the history.
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Your cell phone is often a GPS tracker in your pocket. Turn your cell phone off when you are not using it. This will prevent you from receiving calls in real time, but will not stop messages from going to your voice mail. For many cell phones, a GPS signal is active as long as the phone is on, regardless of whether it is in use. Most cellular service providers keep electronic records of both the the telephone numbers that have interacted with your phone and where you were when those calls took place.
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Watch for odd activity on your cell phone, such as it lighting up when not in use or excessive battery drain. There are programs that can be downloaded onto cell phones in a matter of minutes that allow third party tracking and even monitoring of your conversations. If you suspect there is a problem, take your phone to an authorized service center. It can be reprogrammed to work properly and eliminate any spyware that has been installed.
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Purchase a radio frequency bug detector if you suspect a tracking device has been planted in your car or among your possessions. Bug detectors sell for between $150 to $350 and can detect GPS tracking signals within 50-100 feet. You will still have to find the device, usually the size of a pack of cards or smaller.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember that GPS signals are an interactive technology. Just because you have erased data from your end of the system does not change any electronic recording archives at the source, such as cellular providers which have a record of your calls and locations. Many late-model cars have GPS systems regardless of whether or not they have a navigation system. That is how emergency personnel can be dispatched to the scene of an accident, even if the driver is unconscious.
Some companies market what they purport to be GPS jammers. These are not legal anywhere in the United States, which bans the intentional interference with any radio communications. They also are unsafe, as they can interfere with the navigational systems of aircraft and other emergency communications protocols. Stick with location and removal.
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- Photo Credit big brother image by Uolir from Fotolia.com gps navigation system in car image by jedphoto from Fotolia.com my cell phone image by rafalwit from Fotolia.com
