AT&T launches FamilyMap service, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere
So check this: AT&T just launched a service called FamilyMap. It basically let’s you locate any number on your AT&T account for a monthly fee. Here’s the thing though… besides the first notification text message alerting that subscriber they are being tracked, everything else is completely silent. For instance, we signed up and were able to track both an iPhone 3G and a Bold completely without any visible indication. No text message, nothing. What’s even more strange, however, is that this isn’t just using cell tower triangulation, it actually can activate the GPS chip. How messed up is that? Something is wrong with this picture… But hey, for only $9.99/month for two phones or $14.95 for five phones, you can have the pleasure of being as freaked out as we are.
Thanks, James!
If only they had done this sooner…I wouldve have lost/stolen my iphone.
Seriously… I think this is the first time I’ll say this but other companies should follow suit…just not for 9.99
this is good news for me…easy sell. Especially for jealous BF/GF and concerned parents…
This is not a good idea! Where has our privacy gone? Big Brother seems to be getting bigger and bigger.
Let’s not worry about trusting family members/spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend and just spy on them instead?
So much for trust.
I can see good uses for this (tracking your teenager) or a stolen phone.
But, I can also see abuses of this features.
If you have a phone that your company pays for, don’t be surprised if they track your whereabouts!
@Vernon…1984 brother…you’re pretty much on camera everywhere now too, pen taps, eavsdropping devices that look like bluetooths, and speeding tickets from ez pass. if ya drive a car with onstar your vehicle can be remotley disabled…the list goes on.
I know many will use this for the wrong reasons. But as the mother of a teen who just admited to smoking pot. I would love to have this so I know he’s where he says he is. I hope Tmobile has something similar soon.
For those of you with “Big Brother” concerns, consider this: if you have a GPS enabled phone, it doesn’t take this service for “them” to find you-accurately. The non-GPS phones can be found within a few hundred feet via tower triangulation. If you want to hide, take your battery out of your phone. If you like your phone on, have nothing to hide. For those of you who actually want to share your location with friends/family willingly, Where and Google Lattitude are free
Sprint has had this for a while now… it used to be $10/month, but it lowered down to $5 beginning of this year…
https://sfl.sprintpcs.com/finder-sprint-family/signIn.htm
it’s great for paranoid parents who always wants to know their kids whereabouts… or just to make sure they are really at the “library”…
Wow another useless thing att is going to push us to sell that no one will add cause of the price! Thanx…… NOT!
Im with dnaL0R on this one. Alltel released “Family Finder” about a year and a half ago.
Its pretty good use of the technology I’ll say. God forbid I ever have a child, when they’re blessed with their first cell phone this such program will be loaded and activated.
This is going to one interesting sell for customers … God knows the paranoid parent will love it and hell … depending on activation time … great sell for anyone who loses their phone.
Yeah, all except I do not have OnStar in my vehichle and as far as me living 15 miles from anything around me, I don’t have to worry about being recorded. If Walmart wants to tape me in their parking lot that is fine, no one looks at it anyway.
Paranoia is only present if you have something to hide, which I do not. Sounds like you may have some issues though.
then lets not say “anyone”.
@ vernon… I wasn’t trying to be derogitory in my post towards you…sorry if it came across like that…as far as hiding, my past employer did require it though…U.S. Gov’t.
Vernon McJules Amen brother big brother an big government ar getting way too big.
Verizon has had this for a long time. Nothing new. Did anyone know this: Verizon and OnStar have a plan where you can share your Verizon mins with your OnStar car?
I shouldn’t say plan, for it is a feature.
thank god I wanted to spy on the girl next door she’s so HOT!
Sprint already had this feature a long time ago. 10 a month. Nothing new and improved here.
@DNA – Agree – Sprint has this for $5.00 and it includes 5 phones. The person you want to track doesnt have to be on your account, but they must also log into their online account and accept the invite for your “Family Locater” It uses GPS and Cell Tower Triangulation if the phone GPS is off, and will enable text alerts, email alerts or no alerts to the phones your tracking. Again, no one can have this without permission, so the whole Big Brother thing doesnt really work, paranoia is over-rated.
As for AT&T, I wonder if they REALLY would lack security features to enable any phone to be located. Its also of note that so few GSM phones actually HAVE a GPS chip, most still rely on cell tower triangulation.
“How messed up is that?”
You obviously don’t have kids old enough to carry phones and get into cars.
It actually sends monthly periodic random msgs to the cell phone being tracked.
Well Said DaveZatz….to the sprint fanboys….their mvno, (now virgin’s on sprints network) helio, had this for awhile longer…know your carrier…
Me: “I will know where you are by tracking your phone”
My kid: “Don’t you trust me!?”
Me: “Absolutely not”
If you trust your kid – you are naive. There is nothing wrong with not trusting an immature, hormonal adolescent.
I don’t really understand all of the parents posting on here saying that this service is a god send. Whatever happened to teaching your kids right and wrong and trusting them? Isn’t that part of the whole growing up pocess?