London - A former British spy chief issued a warning to parents that mobile phone tracking devices could leave their children vulnerable to sexual predators.
Sir John Scarlett, who led MI6 for five years, voiced concerns over the growing use of tracking technology in phones and tablets that can monitor and log movements in minute detail.
Sensitive information on locations and daily habits could be hacked or misused by those intending harm to children, warned Sir John in a rare speech since leaving the Secret Intelligence Service in 2009.
His warning was delivered amid the growing popularity of location tracker “apps” for smartphones and tablet computers. Most of the devices have inbuilt GPS satellite positioning technology that parents can use to monitor their children’s whereabouts.
But Sir John, speaking at the annual meeting of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, which represents leading private schools, said locational apps gave him cause for concern. “Of course you can start off by consciously giving out that information, but once you’ve done that, you’ve lost control of it,” he said.
“If you are a young girl you are obviously vulnerable to tracking. I don’t do it myself but clearly I could swap locational apps with members of my family and I can work out where they are at any time of the day. If I can do that, it means that somebody can get into it.”
Apps such as Sygic Family Locator can drop a pin on a map to show exactly where family members are at any one time based on signals sent by handsets.
Other apps include Family Tracker, Life360, Find My Friends and FamFinder. Many offer features such as virtual fences that alert parents when children cross a certain boundary. - Daily Mail