Privacy violation? or Essential tracking method

Are You Being Tracked? By Patricia Smith. Upfront, Scholastics the New York Times. Sept. 3 2012

I read the article “Are you Being Tracked?” It is about how the government as well as State officials have been using people cellphones in order to track them. This can be very helpful in the event of a kidnapping or a murder and has, no doubt, saved many people’s lives. The controversy lies in whether these electronic searches violate the constitution. While they have been essential in saving the lives of many people, Police also used GPS trackers to find drug suspects, without obtaining a warrant. Many people argue that the tracking of peoples’ phones violates their right to privacy.

When I first began to read, I saw that the author had opened the story up with a summary of how phone tracking had saved to people—one from prostitution, and another from a kidnapping. My first reaction was “Wow! How useful! Good thing they were able to track their cell phones.” She then started to show the flip side, and how tracking of people’s cell phone can violate their right to privacy.  I think that the author did a pretty good job of tell both sides of the story, but after every counter-argument, she included a brief story of a successful cell-phone tracking. I think that she really wanted the readers to see that the advantages of GPS tracking were, for the most part, beneficial, and essential to fighting certain crimes. In her last paragraph, she said “The legal uncertainties are outweighed by real-life benefits.”

After finishing the article, as well as reading about the advantages, I also read about the legal misshapes that may also occur. According to the ACLU, more and more people are getting tracked, and with less caution, or disregard for the persons privacy.  “Congress and about a dozen states are considering bills to tighten restrictions on the use of cellphone tracking.” Said an ACLU lawyer.

I think that tracking people’s cellphones is very useful, and should not be banned or restricted.  If it is being used to save a person, or the police are absolutely sure that their suspect is a terrorist, then I think is should be alright to use the GPS tracking. If the police are less sure, or the matter is not immediately urgent, then I think they should have to get a warrant. While these tactics are useful, I don’t believe that you should compromise a person’s constitutional right to privacy.