GPS tracking technology has reached a new peak of success with the invention of a memory stick which self-destructs its data when stolen.
The device was developed by Wallingford inventor Norman Shaw, managing director of Exactrak; it automatically deletes files if they are lost or stolen and it comes with an inbuilt GPS tracking device which can pinpoint its precise location anywhere in the world, to within 30 yards. As Mr Shaw points out, most data loss occurs in transit when files are passed between people or transported between buildings, and the consequences can be utterly catastrophic.
Loss of files can result in identity fraud and theft, it can even lead to blackmail in the worst instances; Mr Shaw believes his invention is 100 % risk free because the danger of files falling into the wrong hands is completely eliminated. The device was designed and built to safeguard the 50 million items of personal data to which this happens every year, opening up the possibility of files being abused or exploited illegally.
A similar size to a credit card, the device even contains an internal alarm, requiring a
coded password to override; should it be plugged into an unauthorised computer or the code incorrectly entered, the device is pre-programmed to immediately wipe its own memory.
