Google knows your location
The Google Maps service is adding a new feature. With Google Latitude, you can track the location of friends and family members via cell phone.
The map service Google Maps is expanding its offering with a new function: Google Latitude can be used to locate friends and family members via cell phone. You can register for the new tool via your own Google account. From then on, profile pictures of friends who are also logged in will be displayed on the cell phone screen. You can contact the person you have located directly by phone call, instant messaging or email and, if you wish, ask for directions.
The position is determined by locating radio masts, GPS and Wifi connections. Google Latitude is available in Switzerland and 26 other countries. The service runs on most Blackberry devices, most Windows Mobile 5.0+ devices and most Nokia smartphones. The service will also soon be available on the iPhone.
Google wants to dispel the concerns of data protectionists. Each user can decide for themselves to whom their location should be shown. Google also ensures that it does not record or save any routes traveled. Only the last position is stored on the computers.
However, data protectionists see precisely the latter as a problem. The question arises as to why Google wants to store the last location of users at all, Maximilian Hartung, Managing Director of the data protection agency, told the media service Pressetext. Hartung sees the danger that the company could possibly misuse the collected information for its own purposes. The decisive factor is that the data is stored anonymously so that no conclusions can be drawn about the identity of the user.
In principle, the use of such systems is prohibited by law. However, if users expressly allow this, data protection is undermined and its provisions no longer apply. According to Hartung, users today are generally too little aware of the dangers when it comes to publishing personal data.
The position is determined by locating radio masts, GPS and Wifi connections. Google Latitude is available in Switzerland and 26 other countries. The service runs on most Blackberry devices, most Windows Mobile 5.0+ devices and most Nokia smartphones. The service will also soon be available on the iPhone.
Google wants to dispel the concerns of data protectionists. Each user can decide for themselves to whom their location should be shown. Google also ensures that it does not record or save any routes traveled. Only the last position is stored on the computers.
However, data protectionists see precisely the latter as a problem. The question arises as to why Google wants to store the last location of users at all, Maximilian Hartung, Managing Director of the data protection agency, told the media service Pressetext. Hartung sees the danger that the company could possibly misuse the collected information for its own purposes. The decisive factor is that the data is stored anonymously so that no conclusions can be drawn about the identity of the user.
In principle, the use of such systems is prohibited by law. However, if users expressly allow this, data protection is undermined and its provisions no longer apply. According to Hartung, users today are generally too little aware of the dangers when it comes to publishing personal data.
