Can 911 locate you on a cell phone?

DaSleeper

Trolling Hypocrites
May 27, 2007
33,676
1,665
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Northern Ontario,
I thought that emergency service had the technology on their system to find the exact location of a 911 call until I saw this report on TV tonight...
Both my wife and I have features on our phones so that we can quickly find each other should we get separated in a strange town where we don't recognize landmarks......
But it seems that emergency services are lacking in that respect.....even in the U.S.

911's deadly flaw: Lack of location data
 

MHz

Time Out
Mar 16, 2007
41,030
43
48
Red Deer AB
The cell tower. There is supposed to be some company that does that and all that has to be done is they send a text to the number you want to track and as long as that text is opened you can find them down to the exact room. That was from a few years back and it was aimed at parents being able to find their kids when the phones only ringing.

It's gotten better.
How to Track a Cell Phone | Digital Trends
 

tay

Hall of Fame Member
May 20, 2012
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Maybe this is the better answer to not get separated in the first place.....


 

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
30,245
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Alberta
...It took him only 2 minutes to dump on a thread I started....

Dump on a thread?????....By answering your question???

You really do get butt hurt easily.

You better go hide under your bed because I'm going to expand on my comment.

About 10 years ago, a guy rolled his car at 4 in the morning and managed to dial 911. He wasn't very coherent and eventually passed out. We were able to go to the area...I'm guessing it was between 9 and 25 square miles. We did a grid search of the roads and found him.

You can come out from under your bed now Das
 

Dexter Sinister

Unspecified Specialist
Oct 1, 2004
10,168
536
113
Regina, SK
If the phone is GPS-capable, and the function is enabled, you can be located to within a few meters. My wife and I have tested this with our iPhones' "Find my iPhone" feature, it shows you a map with roads identified on it and an icon showing the phone's location. In an urban area it can pin your location down to a street address. I dunno if the 911 people have that technology, I've never had to call them, but it's certainly doable in principle.
 

MHz

Time Out
Mar 16, 2007
41,030
43
48
Red Deer AB
Even without your consent and the camera and mic can be turned on remotely. That ability just doesn't get opened up to all the people that would like that option, on both ends.

Maybe this is the better answer to not get separated in the first place.....


She needs to learn to 'let go' a bit. At the mall maybe, this is what the kids would be capable of at their age. She will be holding their hand to get them across the street when they are 12.

 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
109,395
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Low Earth Orbit
The article explained the issue quite clearly.

Not all phones send GPS to 911, not all 911 call centers can receive them.
 

gerryh

Time Out
Nov 21, 2004
25,756
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83
If the phone is GPS-capable, and the function is enabled, you can be located to within a few meters. My wife and I have tested this with our iPhones' "Find my iPhone" feature, it shows you a map with roads identified on it and an icon showing the phone's location. In an urban area it can pin your location down to a street address. I dunno if the 911 people have that technology, I've never had to call them, but it's certainly doable in principle.


I'm surprised that you didn't read the article.

The cell tower. There is supposed to be some company that does that and all that has to be done is they send a text to the number you want to track and as long as that text is opened you can find them down to the exact room. That was from a few years back and it was aimed at parents being able to find their kids when the phones only ringing.

It's gotten better.
How to Track a Cell Phone | Digital Trends

Dump on a thread?????....By answering your question???

You really do get butt hurt easily.

You better go hide under your bed because I'm going to expand on my comment.

About 10 years ago, a guy rolled his car at 4 in the morning and managed to dial 911. He wasn't very coherent and eventually passed out. We were able to go to the area...I'm guessing it was between 9 and 25 square miles. We did a grid search of the roads and found him.

You can come out from under your bed now Das


You two I expected not to have read the article. Mhz, because he can't read, and cannuck because he thinks he knows it all. Like Petros pointed out, the article explains why 911 doesn't get location services from cell phones.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
109,395
11,449
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Low Earth Orbit
I'm surprised that you didn't read the article.






You two I expected not to have read the article. Mhz, because he can't read, and cannuck because he thinks he knows it all. Like Petros pointed out, the article explains why 911 doesn't get location services from cell phones.

Thank you sir. Merry Christmas.

No shocker but Cannuck is full of sh-t that they found some rollover because the cellphone gave a "general vacinity".

The best that can be done is through knowing the company the victim uses, the tower pinged and which transponder the phone hit of three on a tower and the direction the transponder faces.

With a cell tower having potential range of 45 miles giving 2025 sq miles of coverage and knowing the direction the call came from by which transponder it hit still leaves 608 sq miles of "general vacinity".

Even then it's still information that is protected by CRTC and held by the customers provider requiring a warrant to access.


Conclusion; 100% unmitigated, raw, and fresh bullsh-t.

So he is capable of thinking?? I would have said No!
Bullsh-tting takes thought.