Cell Phone Tracking vs GPS Tracking or Toy vs Tool

August 17th, 2008

To say that cell phones have turned the concept of worldwide mobile communication into a 21st century reality is a definite understatement.

And that’s why we at Salgado Investigations use the Trim Trac Pro as it’s a professional piece of kit.

read more | digg story

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Using GPS Trackers to confirm your worst suspicions

May 23rd, 2008

People tend to want to jump straight into using a Private Investigator to find out if your better half is actually your worst nightmare. But sometimes that like using a hammer to crack a nut.

A better option when you are not sure if or when it’s happening is to use a GPS tracker on their car to gather intel. This will give you an indication of when its happening and once you have these patterns then you send in the PI’s to obtain those all important photos that will prove beyond any doubts that they are indeed “bumping nasties”.

Even better than using one tracker is when you use 2 trackers. This only works if you already know who the other person is. If you put a tracker on your partners car and another one on the other person’s car that you think they are having an affair with, then you can watch on the internet as the 2 trackers converge.

And so I recommend that a GPS tracker is used for a few weeks or months before hand to gather that intelligence that will enable the Investigator to intelligently target the subject and gather the footage that is required for your peace of mind.

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How to track a car

December 19th, 2007

That was the title of someone’s blog and the tracker that they recommended was the new MINI GPS Tracker but it has certain limitations. It’s essentially a data logger that is it records the location and only after you retrieve the logger do you get the information.

Well what’s wrong with that, you might ask? Nothing if that’s what you want. But is there another choice?

Wouldn’t you like “live” tracking? Wouldn’t you like the tracker to send you a text message of its location every three minutes or even every minute?

Then the tracker that the professionals use is this one

The system is capable of sending you a text or an email of its location at any interval that you want. It’s completely covert and comes equipped with a magnetic mount. You can view the location on a web based map by logging in from anywhere in the world. It has so many features that I won’t bore you with the details here but suffice to say that its the professionals choice.

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GPS Trackers: Are they legal?

December 12th, 2007

There are many views on this subject and a lot of PI’s and Lawyers who I have talked to have no real idea what the legal situation is. There is even a thread on this subject over on e-LEGAL | Gathering and i promised you an answer too.

People’s gut reaction is that they must be illegal and they mention the frequently used human rights act, the data protection act, RIPA and even the road traffic act… but they can’t point to a piece of legislation that makes them illegal.

So lets look at these possibilities;

The Human Rights Act - Article 8 Right to Privacy

(1) Everyone has the right for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.

(2) There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

The key aspect of Human rights is the wording which reads “It is unlawful for a public authority to act in a way which is incompatible with a Convention right.”

Answer: PI’s are not public authorities and even if they were acting on behalf of a public authority, the tracker is tracking a car not a person and therefore there is no breach.

The Data Protection Act

There are eight principles;

Personal data:

1. Shall be processed fairly and lawfully
2. Shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose(s)
3. Shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are processed”.
4. Shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.
5. Processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.
6. Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under this Act.
7. Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
8. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area, unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection of the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data.

Answer: None of this applies to a car.

RIPA - Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

An Act to make provision for and about the interception of communications, the acquisition and disclosure of data relating to communications, the carrying out of surveillance, the use of covert human intelligence sources and the acquisition of the means by which electronic data protected by encryption or passwords may be decrypted or accessed; to provide for Commissioners and a tribunal with functions and jurisdiction in relation to those matters, to entries on and interferences with property or with wireless telegraphy and to the carrying out of their functions by the Security Service, the Secret Intelligence Service and the Government Communications Headquarters; and for connected purposes.

Answer: This has no application to private investigators

Road Traffic Act - - Vehicle Interference under the Criminal Attempts act 1981

If, with intent to commit an offence to which this section applies, a person does an act which is more than merely preparatory to the commission of the offence, he is guilty of attempting to commit the offence.

The offence is committed when a person interferes with of motor vehicle or a trailer or with anything carried in it or on it with the intention that an offence specified in sub-section (ii) shall be committed by that person or some other person. The offences under sub-section (ii) are:

a.. Theft of the motor vehicle or trailer or part of it
b.. Theft of anything carried in or on the motor vehicle or trailer.
c.. An offence under s12 TWOC.

Answer: Therefore, if you are fixing a tracking device, you will not be intending to commit any of the above.

Summary: There is no law to stop you deploying trackers on someone’s car as long as you follow a few simple rules;

1 - Don’t have any tools on you that the police can misinterpret as going equipped.
2 - Always take ID with you and your client’s signed instructions.
3 - Prepare before hand by practising on an identical car.
4 - Don’t get caught!

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Practical considerations in buying a GPS Tracker

October 21st, 2007

Which one should you buy?

I eventually went for this one -

So the actual tracker doesn’t cost that much but you also have to decide whether you want a stand alone system to monitor the tracker information or use a pay as you go website to do it.

Also decide whether the tracker will be used in a “wired in” or covert application. If covert you will need a magnetic holster for it.

The holster (about £5) comes with the tracker but without the magnets, there are companies out there that will sell you the holster with magnets for ten times its value. I recommend getting it all separate. The magnets you can order from the internet here

One of the problem that I encountered is time. If you are in a hurry then don’t use the website version of tracking cause they have to post out a pin number before you can get started. The website however is the cheapest in the short run.

You will also need a Sim card for the tracker, I am using a Vodaphone Sim card. Don’t buy it from the Carphone warehouse as it costs you £15 there in comparison, Vodaphone sell it at £4.99 from their own shops.

Also decide if the Sim card is pay as you go or contract. I opted for pay as you go as its possible to lose the tracker and the Sim card too.

That’s it really, The tracker has already paid for itself.

So the only question that remains … Is it legal to use? The answer will be revealed in another blog.

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