The Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) has so far this year detected 106 GPS disturbances caused by signal jamming devices in vehicles.
Some drivers use the small, low-power devices to conceal the location of their vehicles, tachographs (which record vehicles' speed and distance) or smartphones, according to Suvi Juurakko-Lehikoinen, Head of Spectrum Management at Traficom.
When activated, the devices interfere with GPS signals in a relatively small radius that measure from a few dozen to several hundred metres.
Authorities have found people using the jammers in company cars tracked by their employers. Lorry drivers also sometimes try to disrupt tachographs that track where and when they are driving.
According to Juurakko-Lehikoinen, when a jammer is found turned on in a company car, for example, Traficom contacts the firm that owns the vehicle.
University of Helsinki data analysis professor Laura Ruotsalainen told Yle in January that use of the small jamming devices is a growing problem in Finland. She noted that the electronic gadgets are available online for as little as a few dozen euros.
GPS jamming on the rise
According to Traficom, a total of 714 personal GPS jammers were found activated on the roads in Finland last year. That figure reflects a significant increase on 2022, when just 422 of the devices were found.
The reason the devices are problematic is that they affect GPS signals around them — blocking the signals to others who would otherwise be using them, the professor explained in January.
Traficom makes efforts to track down the jammers on their own, but also follow-up on tips from the public.
Last week Traficom reported that Finland had seen a five-fold increase in GPS disturbance reports.
A Traficom monitoring vehicle recently patrolled for the devices around Joutseno in South Karelia, where there were reports of repeated observations of jammers being used.
If needed, the agency calls on police for assistance.
According to the Southeastern Finland Police Department, possessing or purchasing a GPS jammer is in itself not illegal, although using the devices to interfere with signals is a crime.
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