An email around work today…paraphrased slightly to protect the innocent…

I had a visit from someone representing <phone company> who with Apple are tracking down a missing i-phone lost at the recent festival.
Using GPS and IME data from the phone they have tracked it down to the postcode XXXXXX – <building deleted> and perhaps more likely
somewhere between <number start> and <number end> on this road. They seem to have a pretty clear idea of where the phone has been over the
past 3 weeks including several sim card changes made to the phone.
They suspect someone may have found the phone and that they are unclear on how to return
it to the rightful owner. They are offering a <not unsubstantial> reward for the return of the phone.

I may have missed something but what's big brother about that email ?

They're watching you. Obviously. Tracking your every <stolen> move 🙂

GPS data from the phone? How does that work then?

I know they can get a very good idea of location from signal strength and timing data from adjacent masts, but how would they be getting GPS data?

In fairness, I think everyone who owns a mobile phone is being stalked to the same degree.

Perfectly possible – if it's turned on then the phone would be trackable via its IMEI, regardless of the SIM that's in it. It probably wouldn't be from GPS data – just basic mobile positioning. Getting access to that information would be the tricky bit – Joe Public can't phone up and get it so it would have to be some authorised agency (anyone from the local council to MI5), and if it's had SIM changes then it might require enquiries with multiple networks. A lot of effort & strings pulled to do that tracking, so whatever's on it must be pretty juicy – or else it's a hoax.

its a feature in the new iphone 3Gs

johners – I suppose if the i-phone has a built in firmware that, when triggered by the phone company/apple, enables returning the GPS data through the permanent web connection to apple, you have a tracker.

If you've got a MobileMe account, there's a "Find my iPhone" feature should you use it.

http://www.apple.com/mobileme/whats-new/

Good story of it working here: http://happywaffle.livejournal.com/5890.html

I guess if you're insured the easier route is to just get it blocked by the network – lots of people (me included) aren't insured though, so if you did have a mobileme account it would make a lot of sense to track it instead.

Sounds plausible coffeeking, now that would be Big Brothery.

I suppose it's alright if they only use their powers for good though…

Reality check:

If you carry any mobile phone (that is turned on) then you are carrying a device that regularly syncs with nearby radio towers, allowing your position to be triangulated and tracked relatively accurately.

That's not Big Brother.

Big Brother is when they remotely turn on the microphone so they can eavesdrop on your conversations. 🙂

They should go out and catch some real criminals

They should go out and catch some real criminals

Who? Apple or the phone company?

switching on a mobile in parts of southern afghanistan of northern pakistan is sometimes followed by a visit from a missile.