The Global Positioning Satellite System, or GPS, has brought many benefits to society. Examples include easier navigation and position-finding in unfamiliar terrain. However, it can result in various invasions of privacy. GPS privacy and security issues have become newsworthy recently. Many people believe that, despite the problems that can arise, the GPS system is still a new positive for society.

GPS vehicle tracking devices perform a wide variety of different monitoring functions that can determine where the vehicle is located, the speed, and how many miles that car has been driven. This information is all variable since the system and device determine the different functions.

In some cases people believe that this is an invasion of their personal privacy. For example, when renting a car, most of us ignore the fine print at the bottom of our contracts saying that we will pay extra for wear and tear on the vehicle if we go over 79 miles per hour. The car rental company will know when and how many times we have done this, and charge our credit card the additional 'wear and tear' fee based on information obtained by their GPS vehicle tracking devices.

Remember that any statements about "guarantees to privacy", do not apply to parents monitoring their underage teenagers. This device lets one know exactly where there children are, if not what they are doing. Since the records are stored in tamper proof memory, there is no way to avoid punishment when rules are broken.

The benefit of GPS is that people who possess cell phones with this technology no longer need to buy expensive equipment to monitor a loved one. Many wireless companies provide this service; however, most do not provide users with a direct feed to GPS data. Therefore, the assistance of the cellular company is necessary to accurately pinpoint a person's location with the data, which is transmitted only in the event of a dialed 911 emergency call.

Greater peace of mind and comfort are important when it comes to cellular telephones. Most folks don't realize they can actually be traced with their cells. The cops can use these to find crime doers and their victims, and even stolen cars. Each year there are more innovative versions of these devices with new bells and whistles. These gadgets can make us, and our families and friends feel safer and more connected. One caveat, however is that the data these devices contain might be subject to abuse.