Division Of Public Safety Will Now Stalk You

It's a paradox: DPS wants you to be safe, but they also want to track your location. Creepy? Just a little.

DPS' just-announced Big Brother program allows Penn to see your location using GPS, when you call a hotline. Creepy? Okay, more than a little. According to DPS:

The Division of Public Safety (DPS) has launched a new safety service, Penn Guardian. This service allows PennComm, the DPS emergency communications center, to identify your GPS coordinates when you call from a cell phone that you have registered with Penn Guardian.

Penn Guardian is available to you as a member of the Penn community. To activate this service, you must sign up and register your cell phone number at www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/getpennguardian. You will also need to create a personal profile and four-digit PIN when you register.

Once your cell phone number has been registered, a dispatcher will be able to view the profile information that you have entered when you call the DPS emergency number – 215-573-3333.

If your information (e.g., your cell phone number or campus address) changes after you register, you will need to update your profile on the Penn Guardian portal so that your ability to use the service is uninterrupted.

YOUR PRIVACY We want you to feel confident that the information you provide when you register with Penn Guardian will be kept secure and confidential.

Penn Guardian is intended to help the Division of Public Safety locate you when you need assistance.  DPS emergency personnel can only view your information or your location if you have activated the system with a call from your registered cell phone.

DPS has worked closely with the University’s Office of Audit, Compliance & Privacy to ensure that the vendor, Rave Mobile Safety, meets the University’s high standards for data protection and confidentiality. Once you are logged into the web portal, all transmissions and stored data are encrypted with the latest technologies available. Rigorous annual security audits by an outside firm are conducted on Rave Mobile Safety’s infrastructure and operations.

For more information on Penn Guardian, please visit: http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/pennguardian.

Thank you for your help in preserving the safety of the Penn community.