Is Your Spouse Tracking Your Vehicle’s Location?

Is your spouse monitoring your every move?  When relationships are in trouble and trust is compromised, spouses often resort to tracking devices that can be installed underneath your vehicle.  These devices monitor vehicle location and provide others with access to your whereabouts.  The devices range in size from a small book to a quarter. Here is a link to a popular tracker: https://secure.thetrackr.com/

In many states, such as Michigan, vehicle monitoring is illegal under certain circumstances, which can make the information the devices gather inadmissible in court.  Once the data exists however, unless you can show that the information was illegally obtained, it can be difficult to exclude use of the information.  Here is a link to the Michigan law: http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-750-539l

Tracking devices are either active or passive.  Active trackers use the Global Positioning System (GPS) and cellular networks to transmit vehicle location to a computer, smartphone, or tablet, allowing your location to be monitored in real-time.  Passive trackers record and store data.  The only way to obtain the data from a passive tracker is to physically remove it and retrieve the data it captured.

If you suspect your location is being monitored, check the undercarriage and wheel wells of your vehicle, or make an appointment to have a professional at a car dealership inspect your vehicle.  Take a picture of the device before you remove it.