Privacy Group Calls Google Latitude a Real 'Danger' 227
CWmike writes "Privacy International is calling Google's new mapping application an 'unnecessary danger' to users' security and privacy. The criticism follows the unveiling this week of Google Latitude, an upgrade to Google Maps that allows people to track the exact location of friends or family through their mobile devices. Google Latitude not only shows the location of friends, but it can also be used to contact them via SMS, Google Talk or Gmail. 'Many people will see Latitude as a cool product, but the reality is that Google has yet again failed to deliver strong privacy and security,' said Simon Davies, director of London-based Privacy International, in a statement. The group's chief concern is that Google Latitude lacks sufficient safeguards to keep someone from surreptitiously opting into the tracking feature on someone else's device."
Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a rule. Whenever a change in the status quo is suggested people immediately jump to the most negative conclusions.
I remember, many years ago, my all knowing government banned "reverse lookup" electronic phone books, unless they had some restrictions in the code. Later, the products fells off the market as they were no longer useful. Before then, one could lookup the telephone number of their neighbor and give them a call if the "music" spewing out of their place at 3am was a bit loud. Now you just call the police or, gulp, go over there.
Tell me again (Score:3, Insightful)
How someone knowing where I am is particularly dangerous for me if I'm not in the witness protection program? If they're going to do anything worse than a drive-by waterballoon then chances are they wouldn't bother with latitude and just WATCH ME.
We've all said it before: obscurity is not security.
Well then, don't use the app! (Score:4, Insightful)
But the people who would use this probably don't care about these things anyway. Or if they do, they'll turn off their phone.
Re:Tell me again (Score:5, Insightful)
Security is about risk assement.
obscurity can be security, just not your only security.
For example, my car door is unlocked right now, can you break in to it? no, becasue it's whereabouts is current obscured from you.
Re:Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:4, Insightful)
Not to mention that any group called "Privacy International" might have a somewhat unrealistic view of how much of a threat this is.
Which is not to say they're wrong, just that often times interest groups like this overzealously reject things out of hand that they percieve to be a threat.
Surreptitious? (Score:5, Insightful)
If you're concerned about people doing things on your X, don't let them use your X.
Where X is:
Pretty basic trust issues here, folks. If you don't trust someone, don't let them use your stuff.
Danger! Danger! (Score:5, Insightful)
If I understand TFA correctly, if someone else gains access to your phone and your google login, they can activate Latitude and use it to track you.
Their interpretation of that is: Latitude is dangerous. I'd interpret it as giving others access to your hardware and your account is dangerous.
But that's why I'm just a computer geek and they're a multi-national organization.
Re:Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:5, Insightful)
What actually happened was, we just got brought into the loop. That's it, that's all.
If you think this is a bad thing, then it's probably time to grow some integrity and tell your spouse about your affair...
Re:Danger! Danger! (Score:4, Insightful)
I too think they are three marbles short. But I think the idea they are attempting to get across is less, "if we can get access to your phone, we can pwnt you." as it is "we think Google's made it so people other than those you've authorized can snoop that data once you've made it avaliable."
Not quite as hairbrained, but still rather "Get off my lawn"-ish given this group hasn't provided a wit of evidence that something like that can happen.
Re:Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:4, Insightful)
i just served jury duty where the defendant was accused of using tracking devices and various technologies to be sure his daughter wouldn't talk about how she was being used as his sex slave.
Obviously the tracking devices themselves were not the real problem there. Almost anything can be misused.
Re:Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:2, Insightful)
If the government agencies and large corporations already knew everything that Google Latitude reveals, and they do
[citation needed]
Re:Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:3, Insightful)
If the government agencies and large corporations already knew everything that Google Latitude reveals, and they do, then I didn't lose any privacy.
Your bank and government know your financial information. So by your logic, it'd be ok for everyone else to know it too. Especially in conjunction with your Google Lattitude information.
Re:Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:5, Insightful)
So your solution to avoiding a slippery slope into a totalitarian state is to restrict individual liberty.
Ya, that makes sense.
Individuals should be free to choose if they want to broadcast their location to anyone, or only to their friends.. sometimes or all the time.. the location they choose or a GPS location or an approximation of their location from WiFi towers.. etc. It's the individual choice that matters, not the technology. If you want to stop the slippery slope, stop people who are against individual liberty, not technology.
What I don't get... (Score:5, Insightful)
So far as I can tell, Latitude is no different from Buddy Beacon, Loopt, Whrrl, or any of a dozen other GPS-enabled "social networking" apps that'll happily send out your location to whomever you allow. But Latitude, specifically, and apparently only Latitude, is evil and dangerous.
I know hating on Google is the trendy thing these days, but come on.
cya,
john
Re:Tell me again (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:1, Insightful)
>> same as using the towers to triangulate your location
if you don't want to be "triangulated", just move to the sticks, where you're lucky to have just *one* tower serving your area...
Re:Tell me again (Score:3, Insightful)
Definately.
I'm going racing with a friend, and we are on each other's lists, so I'll be able to see if he's on his way, or already there. The resolution is kind of rough, so it won't tell me if he's on the other side of the pits, but I can just call and ask.
I told my friends, if I should go missing, I don't answer the phone, and I'm not showing somewhere I should be, that's a good place to start looking for me. Still, the resolution isn't great, but the police would appreciate an approximate location with the missing persons report.
Re:Tell me again (Score:4, Insightful)
I can't help but think of some handy uses for it, such as your meeting friends at the game, and don't know where in the crowded parking lot they are, or what bar their sitting in downtown, and your trying to join them.
So send them an sms with your gps location embedded in it, they can pull it up in their map app, and walk right to you. Integrated it all slickly so its easy to use and auto-magical.
You hardly need google tracking your every movement for any of this.
Re:Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:3, Insightful)
it shows that the cell phone companies can track individuals
it shows that the cell phone companies can track a cell phone, or else they need to come clean about the rectal probe and tracking device.
Re:Tell me again (Score:3, Insightful)
Cell tower triangulation = cell tower triangulation
AGPS = GPS with assist from network to get TTFF (time to first fix). (I hear that the TTFF goes from minutes to seconds with AGPS)
GPS = Actual on-board GPS hardware
Re:Tell me again (Score:2, Insightful)
Yes, with a further just-to-be-on-the-safe-side clarification that AGPS has on-board GPS hardware.
People always seem to think that AGPS is the "fake" "GPS" that just uses the cell towers to tell roughly where you are (in other words, they think that cell tower triangulation is AGPS.) They end up knocking it when in fact it is the best of the three possibilities.
When the technology comes together the TTFF is quite remarkable (which I noted when I first fired up my AGPS after most having used a traditional handheld GPS.)
Re:Tell me again (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Tell me again (Score:1, Insightful)
Also, you have to give people permission to see your location.
This is the fallacy. It may appear so, but surely you understand that any google employee can see it, and that a hack will enable unauthorized access from outsiders. Not to mention authorities that may in the future legislate that they must be provided access to your position.
How does someone make you run Google Maps 24/7? (Score:1, Insightful)
How the hell does that happen. Google Maps needs to be running. And when Lattitude is on, you've got a nice big blue icon showing you where you are.
Think someone might notice if that gets turned on on their phone?
Re:Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:2, Insightful)
Don't just post a link. That's lazy, add a paragraph about the link.
Re:Everyone focuses on the negative (Score:2, Insightful)
"I'm not desensitized. "
I think you are.