Can my boss track my location on my phone?

That's just one of the questions that people ask when they receive new smartphone technology or software from a tech company.

But is it reasonable to worry about your personal privacy? "My husband and I both own smartphones, we're both using them for work purposes, but that's it," says Lisa Roesener, vice president of security at BitSight Technologies in Irvine, Calif. "We do like to stay connected to family, but we've never felt compelled to track where we are."

It's time to move away from our desktops, laptops, and PCs. Today's consumers are turning to their mobile devices for entertainment, productivity, and connectivity to other people, companies, devices, and systems. As businesses shift toward a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) environment, security professionals need to address issues and questions about mobile devices. The majority of IT administrators aren't used to dealing with this type of issue. Here are five top questions security experts have been asked about BYOD.

"I have a question regarding my cell phone privacy: I'm concerned about my cell phone's location tracking abilities and whether that will let my employer see where I am." In most cases, the answer is yes, your employer could see exactly where you are. The key is setting up a security policy so your mobile device will communicate securely, yet not violate any applicable laws. It's important to know what you can do to take advantage of the flexibility of your mobile devices as part of your job without violating any legal or ethical obligations or creating a liability for you or your employer. "I've had this happen. There are a lot of regulations on this. It's a liability for the employer if someone gets arrested on their way to work," says Larry Krasner, vice president and CTO of Aruba Networks.

The law says an employer has no duty to monitor what its employees do while they are off the clock. Employers are free to fire their employees for illegal activities, and if an employee is involved in a legal activity, including taking steps to comply with laws, employers have every right to follow and record the activity of their employees.

Is your employer allowed to track your location?

I have always believed that if you do something in an environment, you should expect to get observed.

It happens everywhere. As long as it doesn't cause harm, I don't give a damn where it happens. I don't mind if they're watching or recording my private life; in fact, I want to be watched or recorded. You can't take anything away from me unless I consent to it. That is something I have always believed. I am very open about the whole area of privacy. I'm in favour of surveillance, as long as the person being surveilled knows about it and agrees. I'd like to see more surveillance, if it's done without breaking laws, regulations and norms.

There are things that people like and I don't like, for example, it's my personal space. If I'm walking down a public place with my dog and a young boy asks for a balloon, I won't be thrilled if he follows me around and says "please" and then wants to share a balloon. I really want to protect that. My dog has learned it's best not touch what's mine, or what belongs to someone else. I have trained her to know I own that, and not to invade that space. We're not allowed to stop people asking for a balloon because of that, even if they were rude, and we don't like that. But that shouldn't stop us.

I would hate for anyone to get the impression that I'm rude for having my own private space or that I don't want to share. It's all about respect. I'm fine if someone gets what belongs to them or asks for it and I don't interfere. The reason it's important for me to protect that space is because it is my personal space. I know that. But it's an extension of people's privacy rights, which is why I'm worried.

I am also fine with this because it is not my business. I don't consider it an invasion of privacy to ask people what they're doing there. If you are out and about somewhere and want to have a drink or sit down for a minute, it's perfectly acceptable for me to ask you to move along and let someone sit or sit down on your lawn. I don't see why I would be any different if I were doing that in a park or in a public space. I think it's okay to ask.