Google Offers "Latitude" To Track People

[sabra]

Source: CBS News

(CBS) Google is releasing free software Wednesday that enables people to keep track of each other using their cell phones.

CNET got a sneak peek at it, and CNET-TV Senior Editor and Early Show contributor Natali Del Conte explained how it works on the show Tuesday.

She says "Latitude" uses GPS systems and what's called cell tower triangulation to do the job. The software seeks the closest three cell towers and, with GPS, combines the data to show where someone is.

It is designed to work on any phone with Internet capabilities, except the iPhone.

"Latitude" is being marketed as a tool that could help parents keep tabs on their children's locations, but it can be used for anyone to find anyone else, assuming permission is given.

"What Google Latitude does is allow you to share that location with friends and family members, and likewise be able to see friends and family members' locations," Steve Lee, product manager for Google Latitude, told CNET. "For example, a girlfriend could use it to see if her boyfriend has arrived at a restaurant and, if not, how far away he is."

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/04/earlyshow/lei...

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[w4rma]

1. Google is one of the most innovative companies out there. Cool. (nt)

[Sabriel]

2. Can a person opt out of this?

Is there a way of NOT being displayed?

This is disturbing on many levels.

[Ian David]

4. You don't have to opt-out. You have to opt-in. n/t

[sabra]

5. you are not opted in automatically must sign up for the service...

from article:

<snip>


CNET points out that, "To protect privacy, Google specifically requires people to sign up for the service. People can share their precise location, the city they're in, or nothing at all."

[Ian David]

3. The war between Google and AT&T continues.

Whatever your privacy concerns are, this is still a point for Google against AT&T.


See:

The War Against Google
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070409/chester

And:

The Plot to Kill Google
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/17-02/ff_killg...

[Renew Deal]

6. Or a girlfriend can install it on a boyfriends phone without telling him

To track his every move.

Or a boyfriend can install it on a girfriends phone and stalk her long after they break up.

[Gormy Cuss]

14. No way! That would never happen.

Do I need to add that I'm being facetious?

[Regret My New Name]

19. yeah haha... argh...

Ehnn, just something else to be paranoid about though. Oh well..


It's still cool though...

[unblock]

24. "if you loved me you would install it yourself!"

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

26. This. Lots of control freaks will say that.

Of course, the right reply is "Well, if YOU loved me, you WOULDN'T want me to install it."

[reggie the dog]

40. "bitch"

"you got to be out your mind...."


ah, teenage love in 2009

[TheWraith]

32. There's easier and less noticible ways to track people.

If this is like the bunch of other similar options, it will probably require deliberate user intervention in order to be "tracked."

[1]

60. wait? what?

"Or a girlfriend can install it on a boyfriends phone without telling him"

"To track his every move."

"Or a boyfriend can install it on a girfriends phone and stalk her long after they break up."



so...

girlfriends "track" but boyfriends "stalk"????

is that really what you meant to say? because that is fucked up...

[global1]

7. Is Cheney Working For Google Now?.........nt

[acmavm]

8. "...assuming permission is given."

You know what they say about what happens when you 'assume' something, right?

[Cronopio]

9. Is there anybody in this country that won't give it all up for the surveillance state?

When did people get the idea that a relationship is based on everyone knowing exactly where you are at every second of the day?

People seem to love chains as long as they're cheap and they come with a nifty, eyecatching interface.

[jkappy]

20. so true, and so telling...

[reggie the dog]

42. and here I thought my wife and I were doing well to just

trust each other, we never saw the need for tracking. If you need to track him or her either you are parinoid and a control freak or they are cheating.....

[Cronopio]

48. ... or a marketing firm. The surveillance state is just as much private companies as government. nt

[Xipe Totec]

10. ...

[Hell Hath No Fury]

11. Utter insanity...

Americans are just happily handing over their privacy with the new technologies. If your "friends" are tracking you with this shit, better damn well believe the government is.

[Raineyb]

17. You got that right.

This is disturbing on so many levels.

Is the concept of privacy not even considered anymore?

Why would you want to make it even easier to track you? It's bad enough that the government does so now with their metrocards and ez passes.

Regards

[no limit]

27. You do understand you have to sign up for this? Nobody is forcing it on you

so if you don't like it don't use it. What's the big deal?

I think this could be a very cool app on so many different levels.

[Towlie]

28. "Nobody is forcing it on you?" Your boss could.

[no limit]

30. self_delete, du bugged out.

[no limit]

31. Then go work somewhere else.

A lot of companies already track their off site employees using GPS. It's a free country. If your boss wants to do this he has that right, just as you have the right to go work somewhere else.

[reggie the dog]

43. gps????

during work, or after work? Tracking while on the clock I can understand, you want to make sure they are working ok, but after work?

[no limit]

47. I dont think anyone is talking about after work. Im certainly not

and Im pretty sure the person I responded to wasnt. As far as I know it would be illegal for your boss to try and monitor your activities outside of work.

[reggie the dog]

51. except that drug testing does just that

[no limit]

55. well I wont argue with you on that, but we are talking about 2 different things.

[reggie the dog]

63. true, I am just talking about precedent

[Towlie]

64. So you're saying the Google tracking system can be set to disable itself every day at quitting time?

[TheWraith]

33. No, they couldn't. There's things called laws.

Tracking an employee outside of work hours is illegal.

[no limit]

34. I think he meant during work hours. And I don't know what his beef is

[Cronopio]

50. Yet. You know how a need for privacy becomes seen as unmutual in surveillance states, don't you?

To prove your innocence you have to submit to being tracked 24/7. I don't see anything cool in that.

It's not at that stage yet, but what would stop it from getting there? People who feel that the number of eyes watching their every move makes them more important, connected, or accepted? People who become addicted to any technology that adds to their vast number of worldwide acquaintances?

[truebrit71]

53. No shit....now excuse me while I install this on my teenage daugher's cell phone...

...

[Bake]

12. I think this is wrong on so many levels!

Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD. Just more Big Brother creeping up on us.

Bake

[L. Coyote]

13. How about for taxis. You could go online and see the nearest bus!

Can this be installed on a parent's car to "ensure the safety" of their teen drivers.
Mom could see how fast baby is driving on the freeway ......!

I see a great utility for companies and their employees,
an increase in efficiency of dispatch-like functions.

[reggie the dog]

44. taxis

is a great idea, or dispatching trucks etc. there is a use for this technology, but I would personally never let anyone track me in my private life. I have a facebook account but I do not talk about anything illegal ect. there as there is my real name, hell I do not even talk about legalization. I also do not give my birthday, or email, or phone number on facebook. Some people leave all their info up, and some idiots leave their info plus photos of them doing coke, or weed, or h or whatever.....

[Juan_de_la_Dem]

15. iPhone does this with Loopt, the scale is not as big however

[originalpckelly]

16. Why? Don't we already have enough creepy controlling bullshit in America?

[arikara]

18. That's horrible

bad enough the government can spy on people using their cell phones but now anyone and everyone can. You can bet that it won't be long and there'll be some sort of hack or crack that won't require the victim signing their non-existent privacy rights away. Hopefully people will start tossing their vile cell phones in favor of a good old fashioned pay phone and save a few brain cells in the process...

[BumRushDaShow]

22. Problem is, the pay phone has gone the way of the dinosaur

They have been disappearing from stores and restaurants and street corners like mad. Here in PA, the state has even been pulling the emergency call boxes off the highways. It's like one is being herded into the wireless abyss, while providing no backup functionality. Pretty sad.

[TheWraith]

37. You're exaggerating the "risk."

It's not a matter of "cracking" something, it's the person volunteering to install software on their phone, as well as their phone having a GPS device in it for accurate location information. A lot of them don't have that.

[Runcible Spoon]

21. Ahh well modern hegemony insists we all be complacent and accepting of our own domination.

[DKRC]

23. Just read Spychips by Albrecht & McIntyre

This is not only creepy. It's dangerous. Anything that puts my exact location out to a person I authorize can be manipulated to put it out to anyone who wants to track me for their own reasons.

[SnoopDog]

25. Hmmm.. Tracking a persons every move....?

Getting young people to accept this as cool?

No, this is police state stuff...

[Towlie]

29. "Police state?" Obviously the police already have it or will, and they won't need your permission.

[reggie the dog]

45. every move you make, every breath you take I'll be watchin you

cant you see, you belong to me....

[dgibby]

35. Oh, goodie!

And before you know it, our tv's and computers will be watching us, too. In fact, I read an article about that last year (sorry, no link), but it stated that the technology was in the process of being developed. Can mandatory RFID implants be far behind?

[no limit]

36. mandatory? What does mandatory have to do with this?

Nothing about this program is mandatory. The paranoia at DU continues to amaze me.

[BrightKnight]

38. Kids, SPOT, 911, Myspace, Blurry Earth, and Government Tagging

1) This sounds like every parent's dream for keeping track their kids.

2) The SPOT Satellite messenger does something like this. It can periodically send GPS coordinates so that your friends and family can follow your adventures in Google Earth. People use them even when they are not on back country adventures. I cary a SARSAT PLB for back county emergencies but I would like a SPOT too for vanity.

3) Being able to provide GPS data with 911 calls would save lives.

4) The Myspace / Facebook generation does not view privacy the same way. They are aware of the dangers of technology but are more interested in what they can get out of it. Sharing information with others is not always bad.

5) Always knowing where your SO is sounds kind of sweet.

6) Google Earth images are blurry because people have privacy concerns. I don't need to be able to read license plate numbers but it would be helpful if the images were sharper.

7) If the Government wants to tag you they do not need this to do it.

[cobalt1999]

39. I agree

As a father of two daughters, I'm jumping all over this.

My wife and I won't have any issues seeing where each other is. I can see myself texting her, "hey, while you are at Starbucks, pick me up a latte".

This is technology the Government already can use if they want to, it just puts it in the hands of the public.

Not everyone believes in "Big Brother", but for those who do, just don't use a cell phone.

[county worker]

41. Just don't get a chick on the side while you have this service!

Just imagine the jealousy issues this could cause. Or maybe you want to go to that new strip club in town some night.

"We have no secrets. We tell each other everything ..................."

[cobalt1999]

49. The only thing I could get in trouble over is her seeing what dealerships I'm visiting.

*ring* Why are you at the boat dealership? We don't need another boat!"

*ring* What are buying at the Harley dealership, now?"

*ring* West Marine....AGAIN!"


With a wife and two daughters (one a teenager), the last thing I need is more female time.

[county worker]

57. Why are Harleys so expensive?

I have a Kawasaki mostly because I like it and did not want to pay the price for a Harley.

[cobalt1999]

59. Lots of reasons...

American made without outsourcing to Mexico/India
Union workers
Great resale and trade in with minimal depreciation
Status Symbol (although many Harley riders won't admit that)
Air Cooled engines are very reliable (sort of like the old VW bugs; little to go wrong), so perfect for cruising.
Heavy over engineered components (not great for drag racing; but great if you ride the same bike for 20 years).

[krabigirl]

52. LOL, i'd never track an SO or spouse with this kind of stuff, except in an emergency.

Sometimes it's better NOT to know certain things. I don't condone cheating, but strip clubs, no big deal. I just don't wanna know.

[BelgianMadCow]

46. "just don't use a cell phone" errm

except you can be tracked when you are not using it AND when it's switched OFF. Have to get the battery out.

I hate the kind of Big Brother possibilities this gives, but your point that the tech exists already and now goes public so at least we can the benefits as well, is valid.

[truebrit71]

54. 7) is spot on. If the Govt wants to tag you , trust me they already have...

...or do you think this tracking gizmo is "New"...?

[PfcHammer]

56. Very clever. Myspace. Facebook. Latitude. All your

privacy are belong to us. All done voluntarily, to boot.

[Xithras]

58. The govt has had this capability for years. Google is just letting us use it for more mundane things

Anyone complaining about the big brotherish aspects of this hasn't been paying attention. The e911 rules mandated GPS chips in cellphones years ago, and unless you're using an old brick from the 1990's, the police and government have had this capability for quite a few years now. Whether you want it or not, the ONLY way to disable e911 tracking is to turn your phone off. Some phones even require you to pull the battery.

Google has simply opened this capability up for the rest of us to use.

[pinniped]

61. Sprint offers a family locator service that lets you track numbers on your account.

.

[Sultana]

62. Kinda creepy