Virgin Mobile don't allow GSM Location Services to be accessed, so I've not tried this up until now. I expect the reason is that 50% of their customers are using the PAYG service to remain anonymous (MI5 agents, religious fanatics, adulterous partners). I now have a Vodafone PAYG SIM, so decided to search out some websites that provide mobile phone tracking.

The majority of service providers lure people in with pictures of scared children and unhappy parents. For a large monthly fee you can set a virtual perimeter fence around your loved one and detonate their phone immediately they step out side. I was not interested in this, I've not got a child to track.

One webside that looked more interesting was World-tracker, they offer a clearly priced location credit scheme. You by as many credits as you want, then use them up at your leisure. The registration was fairly simple; you exchange a few emails and codes to verify who you are. Adding a phone to track is very easy. You give world-tracker the number, they send a text to the phone to request permission to track, and that’s it. As long as they receive a message back saying “LOCATE” you are ready to go.

The location is output as a google map with details on time, date and accuracy. This published map should show my location at the last update, world-tracker kindly generate the page and host it. They also have options for generating Google Earth Network links to a tracked device and RSS data feeds.

This article describes how a journalist borrowed his girlfriends phone and replied to the tracking agreement message without her knowing. He tracked her movements during one day at work and got a bit confused about the technology allowing it to happen. Ben Goldacre’s last words of advice are “If you have any reason to suspect that your phone might have been out of your sight….call your phone company and ask it to find out if there is a trace on your phone”.  The service is not as sinister as he makes out, the tracked phone receives reminder messages at random explaining how to cancel the service.