A few years back it may have seemed as though turning on a device to track illegal activity or a cheating spouse was only the stuff of James Bond films. However, today anyone can purchase a GPS tracker online for a few hundred dollars. Devices with global positioning system (or GPS) technology are often no larger than a pack of playing cards, and they can attach to almost any surface and track travels and stops, sending a detailed report back to your chosen device (i.e., computer or smartphone). Today, GPS technology is now being used for everything from:

• Finding a lost smartphone
• Managing a fleet of vehicles (i.e., buses, taxis, delivery trucks)
• Spying on criminals
• Tracking an elderly parent with dementia
• Spying on your pets
• Tracking the illicit actions of an spouse or employee

Here are the many ways tracking technology can be used to your advantage:

1. Enforce the law
GPS technology has certainly made the jobs of our men and women in blue (and undercover) a lot easier. For instance, many arms of the law utilize GPS trackers to track and record the illegal actions of criminals (i.e., organized crime kingpins and drug dealers) from a safe distance. However, the law in most states upholds that law enforcement must gain judicial approval (i.e., warrant) prior to placing a GPS tracker on a private citizen’s vehicle.

2. Track your teen
More and more parents in the U.S. are employing GPS tracking devices to monitor the driving habits of their teenagers. In fact, many parents install the device without their teen’s knowledge and program it to alert them via text message when the car goes over a certain speed.

3. Spouse
If you suspect your significant other may be cheating, is it unethical to install a GPS device on a their car or enlist the services of a private investigator to do so? While it may be questionable, it isn’t illegal as long as the owner (or co-owner in the case of a spouse) installs the tracking device to record the frequently visited destinations of their supposed beloved.

4. Worried about an elderly parent?
It might seem sinister to spy on a senior. However, more and more worried caregivers are attaching GPS trackers to the vehicles and clothing of elderly patients who they suspect may have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. For instance, a GPS tracker makes it easier to located and safely retrieve an elderly parent who tends to get lost while driving to familiar destinations, or who is prone to wandering out in the middle of the night and not knowing their way home.

5. Fleet finders
GPS Tracking technology used for taxi, bus, delivery truck, or shipping fleet tracking not only gives owners and managers the ability to monitor where their drivers are all all times. It also allows for detailed reports on usage and driver behavior so you can identify opportunities to reduce fuel costs, improve fleet efficiency, and even optimize regular routes.