Editor's Blog2 mins ago
Tracking Device
4 Answers
Hi all,
My Dad has just got a new company car, which he is allowed to use for private use. He has heard rumors from the office staff that they are putting tracking devices in the cars, and not telling "owners/drivers" after speaking to the dealership that the car came from, they have confirmed that a tracking device has been installed, and can be checked by my dads company. My Dad has not been told by his company that it is there. Are they allowed to do this? My dad's concern is that the office staff are the ones checking them, and that everyone will get to know where he lives, when he is away from home (weekends away / holidays) etc. Does anyone know where he stands?
Any answers greatfully recieved.
Thanks
Miss Naughti
My Dad has just got a new company car, which he is allowed to use for private use. He has heard rumors from the office staff that they are putting tracking devices in the cars, and not telling "owners/drivers" after speaking to the dealership that the car came from, they have confirmed that a tracking device has been installed, and can be checked by my dads company. My Dad has not been told by his company that it is there. Are they allowed to do this? My dad's concern is that the office staff are the ones checking them, and that everyone will get to know where he lives, when he is away from home (weekends away / holidays) etc. Does anyone know where he stands?
Any answers greatfully recieved.
Thanks
Miss Naughti
Answers
1 to 4 of 4
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by Miss_Naughti. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
Big Brother is watching gone too far I think. I would have thought that they should at least have made your dad aware of this. I have heard of it being used in lorries and vans but a company car???? Get him to speak to his bosses and get a reassurance this is being used to monitor business related motoring and not personal.
Montioring employees at work is a very grey area, legally speaking.
Many companies have problems when they put security cameras in for business reasons (for example, in retail shops for watching shoppers on CCTV) but then use that footage to monitor employee performance. The bottom line is with your dads situation, its their item so they can do what they like. However, they really should tell employees that they are doing this and why.
However, with all that said I also think you need to make sure your dad and his colleagues have their facts straight when they talk about what this tracker is actually for.
A lot of cars have trackers fitted to them for security purposes - mine does. However, this isn't some GPS thing thats always on so that I or my other half only need look at a radar screen at any given moment to see where the car is. It's a security measure so that if the car is stolen, you call the tracker company and they switch on the device to find out where the car is at that given moment. Cars are after all quite expensive so its only natural that a company would want to protect its assets as much as possible.
Although the James Bond idea of having lots of little dots on a radar screen is possible, its no doubt quite expensive to maintain. As bloodycheap suggests, he should speak to his company to clairfy what the situation actually is and how the devices will be used.
Many companies have problems when they put security cameras in for business reasons (for example, in retail shops for watching shoppers on CCTV) but then use that footage to monitor employee performance. The bottom line is with your dads situation, its their item so they can do what they like. However, they really should tell employees that they are doing this and why.
However, with all that said I also think you need to make sure your dad and his colleagues have their facts straight when they talk about what this tracker is actually for.
A lot of cars have trackers fitted to them for security purposes - mine does. However, this isn't some GPS thing thats always on so that I or my other half only need look at a radar screen at any given moment to see where the car is. It's a security measure so that if the car is stolen, you call the tracker company and they switch on the device to find out where the car is at that given moment. Cars are after all quite expensive so its only natural that a company would want to protect its assets as much as possible.
Although the James Bond idea of having lots of little dots on a radar screen is possible, its no doubt quite expensive to maintain. As bloodycheap suggests, he should speak to his company to clairfy what the situation actually is and how the devices will be used.
Are you possibly misunderstanding things? A tracker is a device which can be used to locate a vehicle which has been reported as stolen; the device is hidden in the vehicle and emits a signal. Some insurance companies insist on these devices being fitted to expensive cars. What car has your dad got?
1 to 4 of 4
