[Discuss] GPS feature in cellphones?

[Bill Bogstad]

On Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 9:25 AM, Oliver Holmes <oliverholmes369 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi All!
>
> Thank you for reading and answering my post in advance.
>
> My question is old voice flip phones could only be traced to the transmitting tower. But I understand now that GPS is built in and is active whether you activate it or not. So there is the potential to track you within three meters. Is this so?

This wikipedia article on E911 goes into great detail on location
tracking of cell phones in the USA:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_9-1-1

Some important quotes:

            95% of a network operator's in-service phones must be E911
compliant ("location capable") by December 31, 2005.
            (Several carriers missed this deadline, and were fined by
the FCC.[4])

this could have been done via cell phone tower triangulation.
However, the article goes on to say:

...
In July 2011, the FCC announced a proposed rule requiring that after
an eight-year implementation period, at some yet-to-be-determined date
in 2019, wireless carriers will be required to meet more stringent
location accuracy requirements. If enacted, this rule would require
both 'handset based' and 'network based' location techniques to meet
the same accuracy standard, regardless of the underlying technology
used. The rule is likely to have no effect as all major carriers will
have already achieved +85% GPS chipset penetration, and are thus able
to meet the standard regardless of their 'network based' location
capabilities.
...

So, unless you have a REALLY old phone, chances are very high that it
has a GPS chipset that is remotely queryable.

Bill Bogstad