There are many myths surrounding cell phone tracking, many of which are widely believed. Due to an increasing number of privacy breaches happening to smartphone users all around the world, it’s never been more important to differentiate between what’s factual and what’s not.
So, in this article, we’ll go over some of the most common myths and facts you should know about cell phone tracking to help you protect yourself and your data in the most effective way possible.
Without any further ado, let’s get started!
1. Myth: Cell phone tracking is completely illegal.
Cell phone tracking is not always illegal. In fact, it’s often done for commercial purposes, mostly in fleet management and other similar settings.
Many parents also track their children’s phones to ensure their safety when they’re away from home.
Of course, we have to make a distinction between ethics and legality here. Cell phone tracking in itself may be legal in many places, but that doesn’t mean it’s always ethical. The key difference? Consent. Phone tracking should almost never be done when the other party is not aware of it, except in some specific circumstances where the person’s safety might be compromised.
2. Fact: Phone tracking is entirely different from data theft and other malicious activities.
Most tracking apps don’t have any features that allow the other party to access your private data such as your messages, gallery, or recordings. Those that do are actually not „pure“ tracking apps – they fit into the „monitoring software“ category much better. These can also be legal, but only if they’re „imposed“ willingly. Otherwise, it would be considered a privacy breach, which is very much illegal in most parts of the world.
3. Myth: Only hackers are interested in tracking your cell phone.
Hackers won’t get much out of your location unless you’re an important public figure or something similar to it. In most cases, people who’d track your phone are people who’re close to you personally. It could be a worried relative, your jealous partner, or even just a nosy friend of yours. Click Resco for more information about location tracking myths.
Hackers would rarely track people without making a move onto their data, as there’s no incentive for them to do so.
4. Fact: Almost anyone can track your phone.
As we’ve mentioned before, almost anyone could be tracking your phone if you don’t secure it properly. These apps only take a couple of minutes to be downloaded on your phone, so don’t leave it unlocked and unattended if you can help it. If you suspect someone might be tracking your phone without your knowledge, backup your data and do a clean factory reset – in most cases, this will solve all of your issues.
5. Myth: These apps and services are only used in malicious settings.
Most people confuse phone tracking apps and services with spy software, which is far from the truth. In today’s climate, hackers and other malicious cybercriminals use highly sophisticated methods to break into other people’s systems. They certainly won’t use a tracking app to do it – their bad reputation is simply not deserved.
6. Fact: Phone trackers are mainly meant for your personal use.
Services such as find-my-phone.org are mainly made for people who happen to lose their phone or get it stolen. These usually work by directly tracking your SIM card, so they need to be authorized by you before you start using them. This is to ensure the service is used in accordance with the law – there’s no room for abuse or malicious intent at all.
So, as you can see, there’s no reason to believe the popular misconception that phone trackers are created to be a tool for spying and data theft.
7. Myth: The apps shouldn’t be used in professional settings.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with using phone trackers to monitor your employees, especially if you’re a fleet manager. Drivers will always have the option to turn off the application, as you’ll be obliged to tell them about it in the first place.
People are mostly wary of the potential privacy issues that come with employee monitoring. However, as long as the employees are aware and accepting of the system, you’re
8. Fact: Cell phone trackers can be a great addition to your business.
As we’ve already mentioned, some people may feel uneasy knowing their employers are tracking them. That’s why getting their consent and applying this solely when necessary is of the utmost importance.
In fact, this is a very common practice in many companies, both big and small. It can help you boost productivity levels in your company, which is a great reason to start using these services.
9. Myth: It will affect the mobile phone’s signal negatively.
Many people seem to believe that SIM-card trackers would mess with your signal, but there’s actually no basis for that. While the tracker won’t be able to work in a no signal area, this probably won’t be the case that often, especially if you’re tracking your drivers as a fleet manager (since they’ll constantly be on the move).
10. Fact: Most of these services are completely „lightweight“.
Most of these phone-tracker apps won’t affect your phone negatively in any major way, especially if you’re using a SIM-card tracker (which doesn’t require you to download an app at all).
They won’t temper with your signal or your phone’s memory at all, so if that’s what you’ve been worried about – there’s literally no need to! Make sure you choose these services carefully and they’ll provide an excellent security layer for all of your mobile devices.
The bottom line
As you can see from our short article, there are many interesting myths surrounding cell phone tracking every phone user should know about. We tried our best to bust them all in order to provide you with some useful knowledge that will help you take advantage of these useful services for specific needs.
We hope you’ve found our tips helpful and we want to wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors.
