Is Mobile Spying Ethical?

Quite honestly, I look forward to comments from the community on this.

Where to start: My childrens' phones, you bet. That driver I have always suspected of loafing on the job: absolutely. The female individual I have always believed (but could never catch) to be seeing someone on the side: start it today. Someone wants to track me: now, just wait a minute! Who do you think you are?

Wow... has my phone been compromised tagged already, and I do not know it? Paranoia mode enabled, install tinfoil headgear.

just wrap your mobile device in tinfoil (faraday cage)

I believe this will prevent the tracking. (until you have to use it of course)

I am sort of surprised this did not bring more considered discussion.

Well, I will consider aloud a little more:

What are the technological, legal, and/or ethical barriers to bringing such technology to market? Technological? I have no idea, but it seems to be on the market already, so I suppose the barriers are few or none. Legal? Privacy issues are certainly at issue, and will provide one barrier. Ethical? Who, indeed, has the right to monitor the geographic whereabouts of another? We in USA have enabled the court system to monitor the whereabouts of individuals deemed a threat to society... shall that sovereignty be extended to individual citizens? To monitor the whereabouts of an individual that I feel is a threat? A threat to whom? For how long? To what end?

Should cell phone companies offer tracking devices in phones? Without any government intervention and control? Are you nuts? The government knows damn well we cannot run our own lives, and will attach so many strings to this it will probably be rendered useless (after being subjected to 3.7% excise tax, of course).

How would such devices violate your privacy? It would only do so if it was without my consent... which seems to be the intent of the technology.

What would be the best application for such devices? Persons with memory issues comes to my mind... if they remember their phones! My young children, a sensitive shipment may include a telephone in the box, my dog (who suffers a wanderlust that I actually envy)... there are a number of valid uses...

But, if we let the Genie out of the bottle, can she be tamed? Should she be tamed? Can she be trusted? She can never be returned to the bottle, she will be out forever. Is this a 'good' thing?

Nah. Only immobile spying is ethical.

(Remember Rear Window?)

The cases I have seen in the news are the cops chasing drug dealers.

First I would favor decriminalizing grass - get it away from the bad guys and the go for it - Every possible tool should be used against the dealers - that is the war on terror every bit as much as any other.

As long as marijuana is part of the whole mess it gets too involved and difficult to control - like prohibition. I don't like or use the stuff - never have and never will but you can't make it go away so figure out how to live with it.

Ethics shmethics, this decision will be made by lawyers turned politician, animals that have only horrible wispy memories of the word, they fear it much as Count Dracula fears a wooden stake through the heart.