LoJack moves into Location-Aware Services for People at Risk

LoJack, the Massachusetts based car security system for stolen car recovery, received FCC approval to expand their offers from tracking cars to tracking people.  In April 2008, LoJack acquired the assets of Location Systems to support the tracking and recovery of at risk people.   This FCC approval clears the way for a number of new location aware services and revenue streams for LoJack.

From the Boston Business Journal:

"LoJack Corp., which uses wireless technology to track down stolen cars, said Wednesday it received approval from the Federal Communications Commission to use a nationwide frequency for tracking missing people, people of interest to law enforcement and lost or stolen cargo.

The Westwood, Mass.-based company (Nasdaq: LOJN) said the approval was in response to a 2005 petition by LoJack to the FCC to use the nationwide frequency for purposes other than tracking stolen vehicles.

The approval gives the company the ability to diversify its technology into other segments of business. The FCC approval also grants LoJack to transition its network from wideband to narrowband, which it plans to do by 2019."

From the LoJack site and press release:

"LoJack continues to broaden its definition of valuable mobile assets beyond its traditional cars, trucks, construction equipment and motorcycles. LoJack recently acquired the assets of Locator Systems Corporation, which gives LoJack the ability to expand its recovery capabilities to help locate and recover people, beginning with missing persons who wander due to Alzheimer's, Autism, Dementia or Down Syndrome."

Comments

[Gerald Nichols]

Very interesting idea...tracking missing people, people of interest to law enforcement and lost or stolen cargo...And all this, for the people tracking anyway, for a simple $99 for the cost of the equipment and a $30 per month service charge. I'm curious though about the "people of interest to Law Enforcement"? In order to do that thent he people would have to be tagged. In other words, I guess we are all going to be handing over $99 to LoJack so that the government agencies will have all of us under their thumbs and then we'll have the privilege of paying $30 per month to make sure they can invade our privacy at any time. Does anyone know where to acuire the technology to defeat these tracking systems? I'm sure that legislation will be forthcoming in the very near future requiring each and every one of us to "voluntarily" submit to being "chipped" for the purpose of tracking us for our own good. Time to disappear.