Though GPS chips have been included in cellular phones for a while now, it is not until very recently that tracking technology could actually be accessed by the average person. Until now, GPS tracking technology required very expensive hardware and software systems that would be prohibitive to just about anyone. On the other hand, the only hardware required now is a cellular phone and home computer, and the only software is a simple, user-friendly application that can be installed on any Windows or Mac-based computer.

The reason that GPS chips were initially required to be installed in cellular phones was to make it possible for enhanced 911 (e911) emergency services to locate the caller no matter where they were, when phoning from their mobile. By the year 2005, GPS was a standard integration into any cellular phone and every cellular phone manufacturer and cellular service provider was obligated to comply with regulations that stated that a cellular phone must be traceable to within 100 meters of its actual location.

Instead of trying to rebuild the cellular network to make cell phones traceable, it was decided that by the phone carriers that it would be much easier to simply build the GPS chip into each phone upon manufacture. It is not the same kind of GPS used by people who live in very remote areas, or those who hike far away from civilization, but it allows emergency services to locate a caller wherever there is cellular service. This allows all service providers to comply with FCC standards without having to reconstruct their expensive networks.

Though the majority of cell phone services don't include GPS tracking in what is available to the end user, there are services now geared toward parents that allows them to track their children's cell phones from their home computers. Many services for children's cellular phones also include a great deal more parental control than only GPS. It also allows parents to see the numbers of all incoming and outgoing phone calls and then use reverse phone searches online to find out who owns a phone number.

If the idea of having someone know your every mood is not unsettling enough, you should also realize that unlike tracking spyware that may be installed on a cell phone, GPS tracking hardware works whether the telephone is turned on or off. The benefit of GPS hardware is that it is hardware, and as such, it is visible on your phone if you know what you are looking for. If you think that there may be a GPS trace on you, check your phone over carefully, particularly under the battery. If you do not find anything, contact your cell phone carrier and ask if your phone has been unlocked for GPS use. If so, someone with access to your account has unlocked your phone. If you cannot find GPS hardware on your phone, and it is not unlocked (this is separate from being unlocked for 911 service), you are probably safe from GPS tracking.