Comments on: Google Offers "Latitude" To Track People

New, Free Software Enables You To Keep Tabs On Others' Whereabouts, And Vice Versa, Using Cell Phones, Says Natali Del Conte

[gctomajtom]

I remember when Google''s mission was "Do no evil."

This service is a major evil. It invites abuse by the government, criminals and jilted lovers.

Sign up once, and Google will have your details forever, whether you later opt out or not.

Many will try to minimize the dangers of Google''s Latitute, but it is VERY bad.

[newsjack]

They already had something like this running on cellphones in Japan three years ago. It''s very handy when you your friend are both in the same area, but can''t see each other (crowded park or train station, etc). No huge privacy implications, since you have to give permissions.

Besides, every cell provider already had this tracking ability.

[mjlewis6]

Tracking is what this is. As long as it is going to be legal to do this, I would certaintly like to know
WHERE all the police are located, WHERE all the firemen are located...and as for that WHERE ALL THE REPRESENTATIVES and SENATORS are located...ETC....

I am sure they would not like to lose their "Privacy" or will cite some HIGHER security need, but it comes down to the same thing: Police State technology.

[mandalay-bay]

I give this less than a month before it is hacked and then abused and then Google will have to pull the plug......

[yongamerica]

My advice would be to not give law enforcement a reason to track you. - Posted by ronpadz

Law enforcement doesn''t need a reason. Remember the six degrees of freedom. You could just be in the wrong place and find yourself on the tracking list. Heck, you might have access to a tracking list and are trying to minimize people''s awareness of how their privacy is being violated.

[yongamerica]

Latitude exhibits technology that was forced into phones by the federal government and how it was/is being used today. The question is how many unsuspecting normal citizens is big brother watching this way? It should be assumed that any person suspected of any dissenting views whereabouts has been watched.

What other government organization, state and local, is using this technology to watch average citizens?

[mandalay-bay]

Beware wives, All of your psycho ex-husbands who want to kill you will now be able to pin point your location for free!

[mandalay-bay]

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."

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I was getting ready to say, invasion of privacy big brother lawsuits are coming up the wazoo!

[nikolakis2]

It''s opt in, but I am sure most people don''t always want the same people to be able to turn up to where they are. Apart from the potential for governments to spy etc what about practical day to day privacy.One night I may only want certain friends to see where I am, on another night others. I may not always want my family to know my whereabouts...will I log-in and change these settings all the time? I doubt it...they will probably it switch off after a while and a few unexpected appearances of people....

[nikolakis2]

It''s opt in, but I am sure most people don''t always want the same people to be able to turn up to where they are. Apart from the potential for governments to spy etc what about practical day to day privacy.One night I may only want certain friends to see where I am, on another night others. I may not always want my family to know my whereabouts...will I log-in and change these settings all the time? I doubt it...they will probably it switch off after a while and a few unexpected appearances of people....