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GPS Jammers Increasingly Used by Carjackers

by Warren Riddle on February 24, 2010 at 07:20 AM

Inexpensive and easily obtainable cell phone jammers have provided the media with a variety of humorous and inspiring stories, but such signal jamming devices pose a terrifyingly real threat to national security. According to the Guardian, Chinese GPS jamming devices have become a worldwide problem, with incidents of criminal use reportedly occurring in England, Russia and Germany.

The dangerous and predominately illegal gadgets have become a favored tool for criminals, particularly carjackers. The crooks use the jammers, which operate on the same frequency as GPS satellites, to disrupt the signal emitted from a car's device so that the automobile can't be tracked. The technique could be particularly beneficial for thieves who target high-end vehicles and for organized criminals who focus on trucks carrying high-value loads.

Those tactics pale in comparison to the truly disastrous potential uses, though. More powerful jamming devices could allow criminals and terrorists to target airplanes, airports, harbors, ships, and other integral aspects of the nation's infrastructure. But, before the public succumbs to hysteria and paranoia, U.S. officials have been aware of (and have even helped produce) jammers since at least 2002. Hopefully, that eight years of experience has provided the government with an adequate amount of time to develop an effective defense mechanism. [From: The Guardian]

Tags: car, crime, GPS, gps jammer, GpsJammer, terrorism, top

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