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Cell Phones: How is Your Cell Phone Being Used?

The first cell phone was made in Chicago in 1977; 2,000 people were given a free trial. Cell phones were quite large when they were first developed, weighing as much as two pounds. Today's compact cell phones, which can weigh less than two ounces, are the result of many years of development.

How Cell Phones Are Used
Today's cell phones are multi-functional. Most of them contain a calendar, camera, clock, alarm, address book, text messaging, and voice messaging. The more advanced or high tech cell phones have e-mail and web access capabilities.

Cell phones aren't just for adults anymore. Parents buy them for their children, so they can keep in touch with them anywhere and anytime. Cell phones have made communication instantaneous and constant. People have to be reminded to turn off their cell phones during church services, funeral services, plays, and other times where interruptions are not welcome.

Tracking Cell Phones
What you may not realize is that cell phones can also be used without your knowledge. Cell phone monitoring is being utilized by cities around the country to track traffic flow patterns.

Transportation agencies use the frequent signals sent by wireless phones to cell phone towers and follow the movements from one tower to another. The agencies then overlay the data obtained from the towers with highway maps in order to determine where the phones are and how fast they are moving. Traffic flow is thus indicated by the thousands of cell phone signals.

Traffic congestion alerts can be issued using the information obtained by tracking cell phones, noting slowed or stopped clusters of traffic, and the alerts can be used to automatically update electronic road signs and web sites.

Transportation agency officials say that the data remains anonymous and that no names are obtained. Many new cell phones today are equipped with Global Positioning System capabilities, but transportation agencies do not depend on that technology to track drivers.

In addition to tracking by transportation agencies, cell phone companies can also track cell phones. Each cell phone has its own unique serial number, in addition to a code that indicates its service provider and its call number. Cell phone companies are always able to track the location of their phones so they know where to route a call.

The Legality of Tracking
Many privacy experts are concerned that monitoring traffic via cell phone signals could eventually be used to catch fugitives or speeders or by the government to follow the movements of people, a violation of the Fourth Amendment. Several judges have ruled that the government does not have the right to track people through cell phones.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) suggests that cell phone users should be notified that their phones are being monitored for traffic data.

Responding to Tracking
Cell phone users have no way to opting out of tracking, short of turning off their phones and removing the battery when the phones aren't in use. For most cell phone users, however, this directive is problematic. It would mean that they cannot be reached by children, clients or anyone else who needs to talk to them.

If tracking bothers you and you want to get rid of your cell phone, do not throw it out. Because cell phones contain mercury, lead, cadmium, gallium, arsenide and other toxic materials, they should not be dumped in a landfill. These chemicals can escape into the land, water and air and accumulate in the fatty tissues of humans and animals. When released in landfills, these chemicals can contaminate groundwater and soil.

Recycling Cell Phones
If you decide to get rid of your cell phone, or any time you decide to upgrade it, consider recycling your old phone. Cell phones are accepted for recycling or reused at many different locations around the country. Some recycling programs include:

• Mobile Devices Recycling Program: Run by Staples, a percentage of the proceeds are donated to the Sierra Club to fund environmental and conservation programs.
  
  
• Recycle for Breast Cancer: This program collects cell phones and uses the proceeds from recycling to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
  
  
• Wireless Foundation:  Instead of recycling the phones, this foundation puts them back into use by giving them to victims of domestic violence, enabling them to call for help in case of emergency. Other cell phones are sold and the proceeds given to agencies that fight domestic violence.

In many cases organizations or companies will provide a postage-paid envelope or shipping label for use in mailing a cell phone to be recycled, so there is no cost to you.