THEY KNOW WHERE YOU ARE : NEW TECHNOLOGIES CAN PINPOINT YOUR LOCATION AT ANY TIME AND PLACE : THEY PROMISE SAFETY AND CONVENIENCE, BUT THREATEN PRIVACY AND SECURITY

RF-ID tags are only one example of a coming wave of wireless communications technologies that will be everywhere in the next year or two, merging location and time-related information. The most spectacular of these will be large-scale systems that piggyback on cellular networks to locate any cellphone on the networkin other words, in the near future, your whereabouts won't be a secret if you are carrying your cellphone. Other plans revolve around smaller-scale technology that will, for example, let you buy an item merely by pointing at it with your cellphone. The commercialization of these technologies promises to make your life safer, easier, and more enjoyable by providing instant, personalized information. It might even save your life by helping rescue officials find you in an emergency, no matter where you are