[geeks] Now for something completely geek

[Patrick Giagnocavo]

On Aug 19, 2006, at 3:54 PM, Charles Shannon Hendrix wrote:
> But what I really mean is that you can never turn them completely off,

You are aware that pretty much every phone company keeps their records, 
like, forever?  And that unless you are in an area with very few cell 
towers, they can (with more work) triangulate your location without 
using GPS?
> You also cannot disable GPS location when dialing 911 and other 
> numbers.

If you do a regular 911 call, it costs them virtually nothing to handle.

If you do one that is not tied into the location properly, it costs 
about $85 - *per call*; as the call immediately drops out of whatever 
automated routing system they use into a special call center, staffed 
24x7, that is tied into all the various 911 databases and PNAPs.

If they have your GPS location, and you dial 911, they know where you 
are immediately and route you to the proper operators.

> I'm just wierd enough to think that is stupid.  If I want someone to
> know where I am, even 911 personnel, I'll tell them.
>

What if you don't know where you are?  If you call 911, you are saying 
"emergency!" and the primary concern at that point is not privacy but 
making sure you are alive and out of danger.

> So I want phones where the user has 100% control over them, or I'm
> unhappy at least a little.
>

Buy a cheap lowend Tracfone or other prepaid phone.  If you pay with 
cash you have even more privacy.  Just don't buy a 1000 of them at a 
time.

--Patrick