Thank you. This is great information. The loopt program you mention: can it track children when they are old enough to carry mobile phones? Are there other, more specific programs to track family whereabouts? I'm not trying to be 'big brother' but it would be great for a tween. Thanks, Janine
I'm not sure I'm exactly sure what you mean by your cell phone ID, but generally speaking the answer is "No". Your phone cannot be tracked using your phone number, your IMEI, MEID, ESN, etc.
There are some exceptions/caveats to this general statement though. First, if the Feds make a request to your wireless carrier, the carrier is legally obligated to provide records, including helping them track the phone's location. Obviously terrorism is a concern, and I've also seen requests come through from the Feds to track phones for criminal investigations including simple theft.
The other exception is if you're using friend-finder type applications on your phone like Loopt. Note that ALL of these applications require your distinct permission to allow someone to track your whereabouts. You just need to be careful about your settings to make sure you're not being tracked when you don't expect to be! There's usually a setting that allows one time/session access, and one that allows permanent access, though most require that the application be running.
Oh yeah, lets not forget e911. Obviously, if you're in an emergency and call 911, the emergency services can track your phone so they can come help/save you! The ability to do this was a legal requirement that came down some number of years ago.
In other words, if you're worried about someone (ex. an ex-psychotic girlfriend or boyfriend) who has some information about your phone randomly being able to track you, no, it isn't possible. This is a very critical topic as it relates to privacy and personal rights, so carriers are very cautious with respect to how/when they allow access to tracking wireless phones.
