Google Latitude . . . Without an Attitude? Google is at it again, creating applications that have the potential for disruption. Google Latitude is an upgrade to Google Maps, specifically developed for mobile users that allows people to track the location of friends or family using their mobile phone or PC. Latitude is integrated with a variety of other Google applications, such as Google Talk or Gmail, which allows someone to send a message to the person whom they are tracking. Latitude can use Wi-Fi access points, cell towers, or GPS to find someone's location. And if all three are active and available, they each can be used collectively to validate location. The Latitude software is written for a location-based service that allows any mobile device with Wi-Fi, cellular, or GPS to determine its position with an accuracy of 30 to 60 feet.
Certainly, there are some real benefits to having this information, such as parents being able to easily track their children or companies knowing exactly where a delivery truck is located. Latitude is an opt-in service for those who are worried about privacy issues. Users can access a simple interface to allow only specific friends or family members to follow them. Once the opt-in agreement is activated, users can see their friends' or family members' profile pictures appear on a map using their mobile phone or PC. Latitude has many customized settings that can be changed on a personby-person basis.
For example, someone can choose to share his or her best available location or citylevel location, or even hide their location. Latitude even lets users lie about their location; for instance, if a user is in Rome, instead of having the approximate location detected and shared automatically, a manual location can be set for elsewhere-perhaps Washington, D.C. Latitude is primarily developed for two broad classes of people:
(1) a small circle of friends and family with whom users are willing to share their exact location and
(2) a larger group with whom a user is happy to share city-level detail, convenient for finding out when somebody's in town, but not much more.
Questions
1. What are the privacy and security issues with using Google Latitude?
2. If users can lie about the location, is this a very effective tool?
3. What are the advantages of using LBS?
4. If you wanted to use Google Latitude, what could you do to protect your privacy from someone you do not want to be able to locate you?