By The AsiaOne Techbot

Worried that your spouse might be straying instead of working late at the office like he said? Why not track him down remotely through his mobile phone?

Several Chinese websites are offering subscribers a service that allows them to track the whereabouts of a person, so as long as their intended 'target' as a GPS-enabled device.

For a monthly subscription of 30 yuan (about $6), users can send an SMS on their mobile phones in order to learn the present location of the person they are tracking. Users can send 15 such requests every month.

The service has proven popular among women, who mainly use it to track the whereabouts of their boyfriends or husbands, Shin Min Daily news reported.

Although it is at present limited to Chinese phone numbers, Hong Kongers who have China-registered mobile phones are also quick to take up the service.

Shin Min mentioned a lawyer as saying that the service has potential in helping the police solve crimes, and might also be useful when combined with other public service.

However, care should be exercised in the offering and use of the service, since it might spark privacy concerns and like issues.

GPS-enabled phones are no newcomer into the mobile phone market, but this is likely the first time that a service allowing others to track someone else remotely through their handsets has been offered.

According to Shin Min, some of these services even offer users an option to check their target's location via an online website.

As GPS works via a satellite network, one can get a fairly accurate location of the other party so as long as the intended device is not blocked by any barriers breaking the GPS signal, such as being in buildings or underground.