GPS tracking and location

Today in class we learned and talked about Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS is a system that accurately determines the precise position of something on the Earth's surface. They use satellites that are placed in predetermined orbits and track and monitor them to calculate precise locations. GPS is used in vehicles (turn-by-turn) for directions, pilots and ship captains use them, and they are placed in apps on your phone. Amazing technology allows you to find the exact location and direction to any point on Earth in very little time. But, in order to see how far you are from a place you need to give your own location. If you go on Google and look up a restaurant or store, it will most likely ask you to allow Google to know your location. Of course that is good because it makes the search more accurate and can give you more information, but it also invades a lot of your privacy. When you press "allow" you are letting a whole website know where you are, where you are going to be, or where you are trying to go. You have no idea what these apps or websites are doing with your location. For example, Alexa is a new thing where you just say "Alexa" and she answers and you can give any request. It is electronic and has to be plugged in to work but it never shuts off unless you unplug it. In class we discussed how even though Alexa isn't responding, that doesn't mean she isn't listening. Alexa is only programmed to respond when you say "Alexa" but she can only respond if she can hear you, which means she needs to be able to hear you all the time. Another example is ancestory.com, which is a website where you pay a company and give them your DNA to figure out where you come from. This is a really cool concept and is something that a lot of people want to figure out, but it is also unsafe and sketchy. Once again, you have no idea what the company is doing with your DNA other than what they tell you. New and modern technology is very cool and helpful, but it is invasive of privacy and it tricks you into giving away personal information that you wouldn't just tell a random person, which is essentially what you are doing.