The problem of population control through the use of technology has become a thorny issue in Spain. In other countries, different technological methods have been used to exercise power over their citizens, and Britain has opened its doors to do the same. to immigration. Rishi Sunak’s conservative government has abandoned the notion that the Ministry of Home Affairs should adopt it bracelet or GPS tag to illegal immigrants.

This was disclosed by Suella Braverman, British Home Secretary, to BBC. In his statement, Braverman assured that “all options” were being considered to exercise “control” over immigrants arriving in the country illegally. Before Time the first to emphasize that this is a reasonable choice for the government.

While neither Braverman nor representatives from his ministry specifically specified what kind of technology they would use, the fact that a GPS tag or wristband is used suggests they may eventually use the technology. a tracking system to enforce the recently passed Illegal Immigration Act.

What is GPS?

The first thing to highlight is what GPS is and what technology it is. The initials GPS follow the “Global Positioning System”, or similar, GPS Global Positioning System. This is a system that allows devices to be classified as receivers Find your position on Earth. In other words, it is a tracking system to check our whereabouts in the world using a GPS device, such as a locator or a smartphone with GPS.

Developed and installed by the US Department of Defense (although currently owned by the US Space Force), this system uses a technique called trilateration uses satellites to determine the position of the receiver. It is important not to confuse this system with triangulation, because although the two are analogous methods, they work differently. This system is based on a network 24 satellites, located at an altitude of about 20,000 kilometers.

Broadly speaking and in a very concise way, trilateration is a mathematical method for determining the relative position of an object using triangular geometry.. The big difference with triangulation is that while it uses angle measurements, trilateration uses the locations of two or more points of reference and their distances. between the subject and each reference point.

When determining the three-dimensional position of a person or object, such receptors are used. this one worked to find at least four satellites from GPS networks located in outer space. From here, it receives signals showing each satellite’s identification and clock time, as well as information about the constellation of the satellite in question.

The device is responsible for syncing its own clock with GPS system time itself, and calculates the time it takes for the signal to reach the equipment. In this way, the distance to the satellite is measured and reverse trilateration is performed, which calculates the position itself. Its accuracy is partly due to the atomic clocks located on each of the satellites. In this way, latitude-longitude coordinates are obtained with great precision, down to millimeters.

Of course, it must be made clear that GPS, as the most widely accepted technology, is not the only one. There are systems such as the Russian geolocation GLONASS, BEIDOU or Galileo, the latter of European origin. In fact, GPS can be considered as a direct partner of GLONASS and Galileo.

And the GPS tag?

A GPS device is a device which, through this technology, It serves to be placed in the world. For example, services such as Google Maps make use of GPS and other services to pinpoint the position of the cell phone or device that uses it. The GPS tag that the UK government plans to use they will work this way.

Broadly speaking, and without the technical details, these labels or wristbands would enable the government know the current position of the immigrants who brought these objects, practical in real time. The argument that Braverman makes in this regard is that these labels will serve to keep immigrants in check who cannot be placed in a detention center and thus deport them to another country.

At this time, it is not yet known what type of GPS tag UK executives will use or, more importantly, whether they will rely on the service they are developing to carry out monitoring. Nonetheless, it is important to examine what legal and privacy implications this alternative has for illegal immigration.

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