| Homepage | Title Page | Introduction | Brief History | Benefits | Legal and Ethical Issues | Conclusion | References |
As with any other popular technological devices the Global Positioning System has its legal and ethical issues as well as security concerns to deal with. First off is the issue of security, although the GPS provides protection for people, the question of people’s privacy comes into question. This is because for example through a mobile phone one can tell where a person is, where they went in the past and where they would be going. If this information is in the wrong hands then the security of a good number of people are at risk. If a hacker collaborates with a thief and they are able to tap into someone’s activities from their GPS, the person could get robbed or be put in high risk. This could also happen in a business. Also there is also the question of how much information the GPS should be made to tap into. These GPS devices store a lot more than meets the eye. While everyday users know that the basic function of a GPS is to give direction from one place to another. Most people are not aware that the GPS actually stores a comprehensive list of activities on it. For example, GPS devices can store gas mileage and sometimes even record how many times a person stops in a particular place. These devices are at the mercy of criminals who can use at their own disposal and for their own advantage. Secondly, the use of GPS in health care to help with Dementia is questionable. Some people do not agree with this style of treatment for patients. In an article, ‘Who Should make the decision on the use of GPS for people with dementia?’ published in the Aging and Mental Health Journal (January 2011), it says that some people feel that using tracking devices for people with Dementia is ‘stigmatizing, dehumanizing, and threatening personal autonomy’. This article explains that while the use of tracking devices is good in everyday life it may not be best for Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. In conclusion, this goes to show that people have different ethical standards and an attempt to satisfy everybody would be futile. However, companies and individuals are to be cautious when dealing with technological tools.