September marks the 50th anniversary of the Global Positioning System, a U.S.-owned free utility that offers positioning, navigation, and timing services to users all over the world. Americans use over 900 million GPS receivers in cell phones, car navigation systems, emergency vehicles, commercial trucks and buses, and railroad operations. Utility operators can use GPS timing services to prevent blackouts and synchronize generators with the grid. Damage to GPS systems has in the past come from harm to satellites—and could easily do so in the future. Further harm could come from hacking—interfering with GPS systems so they do not operate.

Source: Forbes September 29, 2023 15:27 UTC