AT&T FamilyMap hunts 'em down
AT&T has launched FamilyMap, a fee-based service that volition locate whatever number on your AT&T account. The service will locate and track the number from your wireless phone or PC. The service will not only use cell tower triangulation but also can activate the phone'south GPS scrap.
AT&T is offering a gratis 30-solar day trial period for FamilyMap and later the trial flow, information technology will cost you $nine.99 per calendar month to locate up to two phones and $14.99 per month to locate upwardly to five phones. Standard text message rates will likewise utilise to any letters generate when locating a phone. But before yous sign up, follow the break to see if this new service is worth the cost, and if information technology's actually every bit creepy every bit others have found it to be.
As a parent, the ability to locate my children tin can be a tremendous tool. If my son is late coming home and doesn't answer his telephone, FamilyMap will allow me to find out where he is located. FamilyMap tin can also be set up on a schedule to alert me of a phone'south location. And so, if you want to know if your child has fabricated information technology habitation by a certain time after schoolhouse, you can schedule a location cheque at that time.
Tracked phones will receive an initial text bulletin notifying them when they have become located and text messages afterward that point appear to exist optional. The service appears to exist similar to other Windows Mobile security applications we reviewed earlier this year merely lack the data erasing capabilities.
There accept been some reservations expressed over this new service. BoyGeniusReport tried the service and no text messages were sent alerting the telephone that it was existence tracked. Gizmodo tested the service with similar results but found that the text letters were being sent only the recipient couldn't sympathize what was being sent and ignored them. In the event SMS messaging is ignored or fails, Gizmodo has learned that AT&T also sends out snail postal service notifications to parties being tracked/located.
Additionally, Gizmodo was able to access the service by creating a separate log-in without knowing the master password. In these cases, the principal account holder would exist notified past AT&T with information on how to revoke these privileges.
In testing FamilyMap myself, enrolled phones received text messages when I signed up for the service likewise as when I initiated tracking. After my wife raked me over the dress-down for tracking her, she acknowledged that this would exist a nice thing to have when our son starts to drive. I could become a location on my wife withing a hundred yards of her actual location (her telephone is GPS enabled) and my son'due south location was within about iii miles (his phone isn't GPS-enabled).
In reading the Terms of Service for FamilyMap there were two standout sections that made me interruption. While it may be more often than not boiler-plate language, one section reads:
"By activating AT&T FamilyMap service, You acknowledge and agree that information concerning the location of Your device(s) may be disclosed to others as part of the service, and You further, agree to notify whatsoever users of Your device(s) concerning this disclosure of location data."
While the Terms of Service is wordy, I could find no clarification equally to who the "others" might be that could have access to the FamilyMap data. I hope this linguistic communication is needed for AT&T Customer Service to access your accounts should problems occur just information technology would be nice if the term "others" was better defined.
The TOS also strictly forbid FamilyMap to be used for illegal purposes including stalking, harassment, threaten others or exist used without permission on a stolen phone. While information technology makes sense to prohibit these activities, it makes me wonder how hands the service can be abused.
As a parent of two children, I welcome these type services simply wait them to be reasonable, secure, and safe to utilize. I'm less concerned about my child being notified that I'1000 checking his location than I am if the service is insecure or the the information can exist accessed or shared with "others." If information technology is indeed secure, FamilyMap appears to exist a useful tool for parents and a likely annoyance for teenagers.
Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/att-familymap-hunts-em-down
Posted by: riveraselamudder.blogspot.com
0 Response to "AT&T FamilyMap hunts 'em down"
Post a Comment