Privacy Implications of Automated GPS Tracking and Profiling

The automobile has gradually evolved from an analog machine with mostly mechanical and hydraulic components to an electronic system with a growing number of computer-based systems. Within this "smart car" revolution, GPS vehicle navigation has attracted significant attention. There are efforts underway to use GPS vehicle navigation infrastructure for additional value-added services, for instance, mobility pricing of insurance infrastructure-less electronic toll collection, and GPS enabled parking fee collection. This article aims to raise awareness about privacy issues created as a result of GPS-based surveillance by conducting an experiment involving collecting positional data from a number of volunteers. A software protocol is implemented that takes this GPS data as input and generates a range of personal information about the individual including their home addresses, and social and work activities.