Reach Out and Track Someone - Sprint Offers the “Family Locator” Service 4/18/2006 - 4,352 views, 5 Comments
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The Sprint Family Locator is a new service being offered by Sprint that allows you to track up to four family phones via their GPS coordinates. What this means is that you can log into your PC, or just use your phone, and determine exactly where those other phones are at any given moment. Want to keep tabs on your high school senior? Give them a Sprint Nextel phone and you’re in like Flynn. Want to track your wayward spouse? Just add their Sprint or Nextel phone to the plan. Spyi..er..tracking your loved one was never so easy. Invasion of privacy? Lack of trust? Obviously Sprint Nextel doesn’t see it that way. According to them, “Sprint Family Locator is an inexpensive way for families on the go to stay in constant touch. Mom, Dad or a trusted caregiver can locate loved ones without disturbing their activities, receive notification when a child enters or leaves a designated area, and quickly and easily send text messages to one or more family members.” Let’s look at the subtext: “Mom, Dad or a trusted caregiver can locate loved ones without disturbing their activities…” They can know exactly where you are, and by extension exactly what you are doing, without your having any idea that they are tracking you. and “…receive notification when a child enters or leaves a designated area…” First, let’s be clear, these work for anyone, regardless of age. It’s nice to pitch it as a child safety feature - after all, who can argue with that? But it’s just as easy to use it with your spouse’s phone. Did they say they were working late at the office? Did they leave the office? Whammo. And that’s not all! Now, through the magic of the Sprint Family Locator Safety Check, you can actually monitor your obsess..er..loved one’s location throughout the day, automatically! “Simply put, Safety Checks are periodic, automatic location requests coupled with notification. At a certain time on selected days, a Safety Check will perform an automated location request for a “Child” handset and then notify you where that handset is. You select the time of day, days of the week, “Child” handset, and notification method - all via Sprint Family Locator.” Now, isn’t that nice? So, how many of you would use this sort of technology on a loved one, child or otherwise? How many of you would do it without telling them?
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The only problem I can’t figure out how to keep my daughter’s phone from texting her when I locate her. Without being able to do this, it is very annoying to my daughter. Is there a way to check her location without her receiving the text?
Comment by Tania — 9/30/2006 @ 8:48 am
i would like to provide the same service to people in my country,
how can i get the technology running in my country.
i can get grant from the government of Botswana to star up a service like this one.
lets do it
Comment by Lyon Nthebolang — 1/18/2007 @ 5:37 am
Tracking someone with this technology is great for keeping an eye on your child to make sure he or she is ok but in the wrong hands it is a violation of everyone’s rights. Case in point How would you like me to track you all i have to do is buy a phone put it in your car, bike or what ever you are in and i can watch every move you make 24-7. If you are over at a friends house or your girl friends house and any information i require i can get from this technology. this technology is very dangerous and should be not able to use and if used the wrong way for spying on someone then there should be law suits to prevent this. Another technology that has come to attention is the US Government can turn on your speaker on your mobile phone and listen to your comments, who you talking to, your most secretive information do you think this is right well i think this is totally wrong and should be outlawed.
Comment by Concerned — 9/6/2007 @ 10:27 am
I think this is great idea and is not an invasion at all. This would be great for High school, College and senior people to have this technology maybe not a phone but this type of technology does have a place.
Comment by Zap — 12/18/2007 @ 12:25 pm
this is boreing
Comment by nivkskkalksdjflak;j — 1/17/2008 @ 12:21 pm