Did you know that your cellphone’s GPS can help track coronavirus as well? This is shocking for many as until now mobile Wi-Fi and GPS were used for other purposes. From booking online appointments to online shopping, what is it that one cannot achieve if he has access to Wi-Fi. In cases where you cannot access a certain website, VPN helps you to do so. Thus, making your life easy.
However, lately some advancements in the cellphone tracking shocked some people. Let’s have a look at what this all is about.
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Why Track Your Cellphone Location?
Some people cannot survive without their mobile phone devices. LITERALLY. It is like their second limb for them. Reliance on cellphones to such an extent that people connect them to home Internet as well, allows the GPS to track every detail about an individual’s locations. Now you must be wondering that who permitted anyone to track your locations? The answer is YOU. Individuals these days make use of services like Google Fiber to stay connected to the Internet at all times.
Remember when you installed an app or a game and allowed it to access your location? That is when it happened. And you giving his permission means that a massive amount of data regarding your whereabouts is accessible. Whether you are visiting a shopping mall or are in a public garden taking a morning walk, your location gets tracked.
The collected data allows the government and other authorities to predict how likely you are to be a carrier of coronavirus. As it will also show when you visited most affected places.
Privacy Concerns
Mobile phone tracking is also raising several privacy concerns among individuals. Many people get worried because of this as the government is tracking their cellphone continuously. However, no such instance where data was put to a dangerous use surfaced. But individuals remain worried as they are not aware of the long-term effects of this.
Advocates also suggest that there is a thin line between tracking collective data and a single person. As long as the latter is not taking place, people should not worry.
Moreover, some people are even pointing out that this form of tracking is not as effective as the government is claiming it to be. For example, if a person suffered from corona and he is using the same Wi-Fi network inside of a building as another person close to him. Now the data or tracking will indicate that they are close to each other. However, it will not suggest if they are 6 feet apart from each other or not. Other than that, GPS can have errors too. Thus, making the information even more doubtful.
What are Apple and Google Doing?
With this new concept making rounds, Apple and Google are playing their parts to fit in. Both companies are already developing tools so that they can jump on the bandwagon as well. Later this year, both companies are also set to release an integration system. However, people who contract the virus will need to download the app. Only then can they initiate any contact notifications.
Will Everyone Need to Turn on Contact Tracing?
This remains a concern and an open question as no one is sure. According to reports, workplaces can make it mandatory for employees to download the app. However, the purpose of the apps will die if not many people in a country use it. Stats suggest that at least 60% of people in a country should use the app for it to be effective.
How to Secure Your GPS and Wi-Fi Signal?
In case this whole news is making you more concerned about your security, here are steps that you can take to protect your Wi-Fi signal and your cellphone. To begin with, you will have to ensure that your home’s Wi-Fi is secure. Online guides are available on how to do that. Once done, you will also have to make sure that you are using public Wi-Fi safely as well. Not only this, but you should also make an effort to come up with a strong password for your online accounts. You can also use proxy servers to hide your identity.
As far as the GPS is concerned, then you should turn off the GPS tracking. And if you have any apps that track your location, you should uninstall those too. However, you should know that deleting these apps would not mean that the already collected data will vanish as well. That will stay with the apps. Another issue arises here. If you turn off your GPS, apps like Google Maps will not work. So, you will have to turn on GPS while using such apps.
Hope this blog post helps you in keeping yourself secure online. The aim of it was not to scare you. You can continue to subscribe to the mobile Internet and use Wi-Fi. I do so too. And Cox is my favorite as there are no Cox hidden fees. However, I also take the necessary measures to stay safe online. You should do the same.
