By Heather McLean, 19 November 2001 18:10
NEWS Mobile phones can be spied on with the help of an invisible 'pinging' system rigged up by a German website. The service enables users to find out whether another phone is within reach and turned on without the seeker being spotted, so a caller will know post-ping if they're being ignored. Location technology company gate5 AG is the developer of the service that is based on the Packet Internet Groper network utility, otherwise known as ping. Ping finds out if a specified IP address is online by posting a packet of information to it and waiting for a reply. Using SMS, the seeker pops the desired phone number in a field on gate5's ping screen then clicks the ping button and waits for a message confirming or denying the phone's availability. The application is expected to ruin many relationships, particularly between chatty parents and harassed offspring.
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