Tracing a Mobile Phone Location

Tracing a mobile phone location can give you peace of mind, especially if you have teenagers... or anyone else you'd like to be able to keep tabs on! You don't need a GPS-enabled phone if you have a cell phone tracking program through your service provider. That makes tracking anyone on your family plan easy. However, if you're worried about being tracked by a mere acquaintance, ex, or a stranger who came across your phone number, you're protected.

Know where your teens are

There are a few ways to use mobile phones to trace the locations of those you want to "watch." You can opt for a family plan, which is good if you have teenagers or a spouse you'd like to keep tabs on. Not only that, but if you're a business owner and have traveling employees, this type of service will be helpful for keeping track of where they—and shipments—are.

Another option is a social networking solution where users broadcast their locations to their friends. This gives the seeker less control because it's easy for the cell phone user to turn off the service that allows them to be found.

AT&T has a plan called FamilyMaps that allows users to locate any other cell phones on their family plan using a PC or their own mobile phone. You won't be able to do it discreetly, however, because the other cell phone user will receive texts alerting them to the fact that they are being watched. You can track the location via an online map (real time) or receive texts of your own with location updates. The price varies based on how many phones are on the plan and uses GPS technology to locate the cell phones.

Sprint Nextel has a similar plan and they offer a free trial period. You can also get Safety ChecksSM with this program, which send you alerts when your children arrive at a location safely and on time.

Verizon also has Chaperone Parent/Child phones that allow you to determine the mobile phone location and receive alerts when the child enters a designated area, like school or home, on time.

Take things up a notch from social networking methods like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Allow your friends to find you by locating your cell phone. You're in control of your security settings with these, so you can hide from everyone or be detectable by only a few friends.

Google Latitude: With this service, you can share your location with whomever you wish. When you don't want to be found, simply turn off Google Latitude. You will also be able to see your friends' locations either on your phone or your computer.

BrightKite: This is another social networking service based on location. You can use it from any phone and control your security settings so that only those who you choose can find you. You can either stick to tracking your friends only or branch out and meet new people in your area.

You can do even more than trace a mobile phone location. When you turn your phone into a GPS device using tools like those from AccuTracking, you can:

• Find out where your phone is
• Find out which direction it is headed
• Get a text message alert when the driver goes over the speed limit or leaves a designated area

If your cell phone and service provider are compatible with the service, you have to load software onto your mobile phone first. You can then trace where your phone is on an online map. The phone will have to be in the network area; if it is outside, it will not show up on your online map.

Does the idea of tracing a mobile phone location make you nervous because you're afraid someone who means you harm may be able to track you down? Take comfort in this: if someone isn't already on your cell phone plan, it should be next to impossible for them to acquire the information they need to trace your mobile phone location and find you.

According to I.C.U. Tracer Services, it has been "illegal to sell, transfer, or possess confidential phone records" since President Bush signed off on the H.R. 4709 The Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act of 2006 on January 12, 2007.

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