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How Location Tracking Works

By: Kevin Bonsor
Map with location tracking showing location of individual in red
Even street lights can track your location. You may be easier to pinpoint now on a map than you think. John Lund / Getty Images

As children playing hide and seek, there seemed to be so many places where we could hide and never be found. With the world bec­oming ever smaller through technology, hiding is increasingly difficult. Cameras peer down on us at red lights, in our workplace, in stores and even at home. Now, those cameras are being augmented by new technologies that track our cars, cell phones and possibly any product we buy.

This location-tracking technology also is being used to streamline supply chains for corporations, seeking to move products to the market faster, and to monitor assets and prevent inventory loss.

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­Soon, companies also will be able to track your location. Imagine walking through your local supermarkets, and as you pass through the aisle, an electronic coupon for your favorite cereal is beamed to your phone.

However, many privacy advocates are worried about the implications of these new surveillan­ce systems. Such technology means that marketers and others could know your whereabouts at any time.