New Microchip Knows Your Location To Within Centimeters

[Analog]

The development of a new microchip for cell phones that knows the user’s location to within a few centimeters confirms the fact that contrary to biblical fears about mandatory implantable microchips, people have willingly exchanged their privacy for convenience and that the cell phone itself is the de facto “mark of the beast”.

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“Broadcom has just rolled out a chip for smart phones that promises to indicate location ultra-precisely, possibly within a few centimeters, vertically and horizontally, indoors and out,” reports MIT Technology Review.​

“In theory, the new chip can even determine what floor of a building you’re on, thanks to its ability to integrate information from the atmospheric pressure sensor on many models of Android phones. The company calls abilities like this “ubiquitous navigation,” and the idea is that it will enable a new kind of e-commerce predicated on the fact that shopkeepers will know the moment you walk by their front door, or when you are looking at a particular product, and can offer you coupons at that instant.”​

Over 82% of Americans own cell phones, with around half of these being smart phones. In the near future, the majority of Americans will own smart phones that will have the ability to track their location down to a few centimeters.



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[SagaLore]

OH SH--


if you zoom in on the image in the upper right corner by about 1000x, there is clearly a 666 engraved on it with some kind of initials, BHO, not sure what that stands for. browser helper object?...

 

[FoBoT]

yes, and people not only accept it, they are willing to pay for it
if it was good enough for Star Trek, then it should be good enough for me

 

[HardcoreRobot]

cool product. dumb commentary.

 

[PricklyPete]

those filthy bastards!

 

[Lithium381]

cool product. dumb commentary.

this. . .it can get your elevation via GPS to tell what floor of a building you're on, and theyre assuming no modification to the general air pressure in the building via HVAC or the like

 

[LurkerPrime]

The smart criminals will just leave thier phones at home. Perfect alibi.

 

[Lemon law]

If they can make GPS chips that cheap, I look forward to a large drop in GPS devices prices.

On the downside its a huge privacy risk, on the upside, in a life threatening emergency, first responders can find you quickly.