The text deals with surveillance and GPS. At first we hear a little story about a man, who lives in the future, where extreme surveillance is a part of the everyday life. He is located by GPS and some stores nearby send commercials to him through the GPS.
Today GPS is owned and operated by the US military. The signals not used by the military are less accurate and it is difficult to get an accurate location in buildup areas, like in the big cities.
Today there are 26 satellites in orbit, but in the end of the year four new satellites will be launched by the European Commission and the European Space Agency – the project is called Galileo. It will be more accurate and reliable than GPS and will therefore be a rival. The point is to save money in the industry and not to spy on people, which is feared by some people. If you do not carry a receiver you are invisible for the satellites.
A concern could be that the government will force people to carry receivers. But Galileo could also be used to locate dangerous criminals. Maybe in the future people who are willing to have a Galileo-enabled cell phone with will get extra benefits, so companies can track them down. A specialist says that it is likely that most people would be prepared to carry a receiver in the future because of the high benefits.
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