Research Supports the Accuracy of a Security Industry Expert’s Prediction: Public Is Ready for GPS Technology

(BOSTON, Mass. – Feb. 13, 2006 - The SafetyMinute) Recently announced research supported a nationally televised security industry expert’s assertion that the public is ready for GPS. The Boston University–led survey found a large percentage of respondents receptive to the notion of surveillance in the form of consumer-friendly P2P devices. According to Robert Siciliano, author of “The Safety Minute: 01,” the findings provided insight into effective strategies for marketing GPS technology to consumers.

“GPS manufacturers who want to saturate the market face one remaining challenge,” said Siciliano, who delivers presentations to Fortune 500 companies across the nation. Siciliano is president of SafetyMinute Seminars. “They must gain favor with consumers, and they’ll do this by marketing safety.”

According to a Feb. 7 press release, graduate students at Boston University’s College of Communication conducted their research online. The Boston University survey, conducted by graduate students at BU’s College of Communication, looked at 523 online adults’ receptivity to Person-to-Person (P2P) surveillance of loved ones and found 32 percent “likely to use such devices themselves.”

Verizon Wireless recently announced plans to market a P2P device. The company’s GPS-equipped cell phones will allow parents to track teenagers’ whereabouts.

“With research findings like this on their side,” said Siciliano, “P2P device manufacturers should go to market en masse this year. The everyday consumer’s possible lack of preoccupation with privacy issues may be incongruent with professional privacy advocates’ agendas.”

“People choose safety over privacy every time,” Siciliano added. “Those pursuing the market for GPS technology can embrace this notion. GPS manufacturers will gain favor with consumers as safety enablers, not as an invaders of privacy.”

“Once the public becomes comfortable with GPS, the floodgates will open,” Siciliano continued. “Without fear of backlash, consumers, law enforcement officials, and manufacturers alike will then be free to adopt and provide GPS for its many uses.”

GPS offers clear benefits for the law enforcement community. On Feb. 7, The Associated Press reported that police in Southern California are turning to GPS technology to curb high-speed pursuit. According to the article, a small number of police cruisers there will receive the StarChase systems, which allows users to shoot GPS-enabled darts that stick to fleeing vehicles.

“GPS is the security industry’s ‘killer app,’ the breakthrough that will change everything,” said Siciliano. “Professionals in security have always dreamed of a solution that would make the bad guy’s job impossible. That solution has remained elusive until now. GPS has the potential to make crime as we know it extinct.”

“The law enforcement market segment is ready to embrace GPS technology, the ‘killer app,’ with abandon,” Siciliano concluded, “and consumers interested in safety will continue to recognize the technology’s benefits. Manufacturers will position themselves to profit from these opportunities, and, as counterpoint, privacy advocates will react by decrying the dangers that GPS poses to our civil liberties. But the market, which comprises all these factions, will make the final decision.”

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Robert Siciliano provides consumer education solutions to Fortune 500 companies and their clients and leads personal safety and security seminars nationwide. He has been featured on CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, “The Suze Orman Show,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Maury Povich,” and "The Howard Stern Show."

The media may reach Siciliano at 1 (888) SICILIANO (742-4542). Visit his Web site, www.safetyminute.com. Siciliano’s full contact information follows:

Robert Siciliano

Personal Security Expert

PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)

FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)

E-MAIL: Robert@SafetyMinute.com

http://www.safetyminute.com/

The media are encouraged to get in touch with Siciliano directly. They may also contact:

Brent W. Skinner, President & CEO

STETrevisions

PHONE: 617-875-4859

FAX: 866-663-6557

E-MAIL: BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.biz

http://www.STETrevisions.biz