In Rhode Island, battered women, stranded sailors, lost hikers and others in need of emergency help can dial 911 from a Sprint, Verizon or T-Mobile cell phone and authorities will automatically know where they are, thanks to Global Positioning System technology embedded in their phones.
The only statewide e911 system in the country still has kinks to work out, but officials expect Cingular, AT&T and Nextel phones to be connected by the end of the year. It's one of many developments that experts and analysts are studying closely as location tracking becomes the latest business opportunity and battleground for privacy advocates.
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