A Great Idea or Big Brother Breathing Down Our Necks

Maybe you heard about this on the news: 

"Last month, Florida and Oklahoma passed laws requiring lifetime GPS satellite tracking for certain sex criminals: repeat offenders in Oklahoma, those whose victims were under 12 in Florida. . .

Unlike an ankle bracelet worn for house arrest, which alerts authorities if the wearer strays too far from a device connected to a home phone, GPS works everywhere. An ankle bracelet and a transmitter worn on the waist send a continuous signal to the parole officer's computer. If the wearer ventures into "exclusion zones" around schools, parks and playgrounds or out of "inclusion zones" such as his workplace or home, the device sends an alert to the parole office."

About a decade ago, Mrs. Linklater was working as a battered women's advocate and she had a meeting with a former LA police officer, who was an executive with a security company.  This company, among other things, provided a panic button to battered women with orders of protection. That way, if their stalkers came within 100 feet, they could press the button and the police would come.

All she had to do was carry a purse size receiver, which was a little inconvenient, but at least she didn't have to be a prisoner in her own house. She could go out for an evening and feel that help was always close at hand.

But what intrigued Mrs. L even more was what else was also available. At that time there was already a GPS tracking chip that could be implanted into an offender, so that he [almost always a male by the way] could be tracked 24/7.  The chip is more advanced than the bracelet being employed now, since it can be inserted into the body.

But that wasn't the best part. If the offender strayed, a chemical in the chip could be activated to render him helpless. But my police officer friend said it would be long time before they could implement that technology.

Apparently not. GPS tracking is here, in bracelet form. Can the chip be far behind?

Which got Mrs. Linklater to thinking that people with medical conditions could benefit from a GPS chip.

Suppose you have diabetes and you go into a coma.  Your GPS tracking chip can find you and send help, or even release the medication you need. 

Same with a heart patient who suffers from an arrthymia.  Or anyone with a seizure disorder.

Or say you're an old guy on a date and you forgot your Viagra. Your pharmacist could activate your GPS chip and the night wouldn't be a loss after all.

But for now the idea is to just keep track of the people who prey on childen. So they can't hang around playgrounds and other places where kids play.  

Heck, why not have the bracelet electrified so that every time they strayed out of bounds they'd get shocked. And shocked.  And shocked.  Until they were back where they were supposed to be.

Mrs. Linklater realizes that the GPS tracking smacks of Big Brother Is Watching You. 

As long as it's for the bad guys and not her.