[LINK] PI discovers flaw in Google phone tracking system

[Richard Chirgwin]

<blushes at oxymoron>
<blame the heat>

Stilgherrian wrote:
> On 06/02/2009, at 12:58 PM, Richard Chirgwin wrote:
>   
>> You're probably a special case in general, Stil; at the very least,  
>> your
>> consent to publish location information can be regarded as an informed
>> consent.
>>
>> I don't think this will be the case for most Latitude users. They will
>> do so as followers of a cargo cult, without thinking much about either
>> the T&Cs, or the implications of the constantly-published location.
>>     
>
> All this is perhaps true. I'm definitely ALWAYS up one end or other of  
> the bell curve, in almost every aspect of my life.
>
> I was reacting to the ides (from Simon Davies) that this is a new  
> security/privacy threat when in fact it's an existing threat which has  
> just gained prominence.
>   
I don't know that the distinction is that important, in terms of "what
people need to know". If they didn't understand the privacy implications
previously, then Latitude is a great way to get the ball rolling.
> Now that I reflect upon it some more, I think the approach shouldn't  
> be to bemoan "Oh noes, Teh Googles haz stolen my privates!" -- because  
> quite frankly that genie is already so far out of the bottle that it's  
> looking a lot like last century's battle -- but to figure out what the  
> new rules are in what some author called "the glass society".
>   
Perhaps; but I can at least be unyielding here and say that one of the
rules has to be that people have enough information to make a sensible
decision.

Cheers,
RC
> For example, Google Latitude can't know where you are if you have he  
> GPS turned off. And no-one can install software in your phone if you  
> don't leave it unattended, or if it's password-protected, or if  
> [insert standard security warnings that apply to any computer].
>
> Oh, that's failed in every round of computer tech too.
>
> Did I mention that I put m location on a map on the Internet...? ;)  
> t's cool.
>
> Oh well...
>
> Stil
>
>
>
>