Monday, April 13, 2009
Google Latitude
I guess this doesn't really take away from Google holding every aspect of one's life. As far as I can tell, this was released within the last couple of days, if not today. Google Latitude-- a program that allows you to pinpoint exactly where your friends are at an exact time by seeing where their phone is located. Although you can decide who sees where you are, this can get you into a lot of trouble. No more white lies, if you're attempting to get out of something. I don't think Google will end up purchasing Twitter, as this is basically the same thing with extra amenities. Maybe they want a monopoly type of thing though...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Not sure how I feel about this, but the initial reaction is that this may be going a little far. Call it Stalker 2.0. Not really sure what the benefits to society (not Google) of this application are. Let's just say this is one Google service that I won't be signing up for anytime soon
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSo...I'm not in this class, but my roommate is. Google Latitude is definitely too stalkerish even for Google. It's not the idea that they have the info that's too much for me, but the idea that they think there's a market for us always following each other is too much. But Google Latitude has definitely been around since at least early February (I was invited to it then by a friend).
ReplyDeleteI don't really see the purpose of google latitude or twitter...all of it seems a bit bizarre and overly involved in someone else's life. Granted google latitude requires that you have the consent of the other person in order to follow them but I don't see how this can be at all beneficial to anyone. Perhaps, the overly controlling spouse or significant other will want to make sure their partner is where they say they are at all times, which is definitely not something that I would support but I could anticipate happening. It is quite striking that there is a market for these stalker applications and I think it's one such illustration of the decline of society, we are so busy worried about what everyone else in the world is doing that we fail to channel our energy toward something productive and worthwhile. If someone wanted you to know where they were, or you needed this information for a useful reason then I am certain that the person wouldn't hesistate to pick up the phone and tell you. The only benefit of a service like this would be if someone has gone traversing an unsafe area, e.g. hiking, camping, exlploring, etc. and we can track them using their phone, other than for safety purposes this is definitely not a service that should be available worldwide. I anticipate more negative effects than positive ones.
ReplyDeleteI'm not too sure what the problem is here. I was reading up on this, and apparently the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is making it necessary for all phones to be able to transmit their exact location with GPS. And since "big brother" can already see where you are, what's the problem with google being able to? They can only show those who you allow, and if you're worried about a paranoid mate finding out where you are, perhaps you shouldn't be in a relationship in the first place.
ReplyDelete@ Harrison Flanagan
ReplyDeleteMy problem is not with Google having the information (yet). The government may be Big Brother, but there is no reason that my mom or friend or neighbor has to be as well. Just because my phone has a GPS chip does not mean that they can call up Verizon and ask where I am, but now that Google is tapping this resource they essentially can. I would hope that the FCC's decision has to do with tracking 911 calls or the Patriot Act or something of actual good to society.
I understand that you have to accept a friend for them to be able to see you, but I believe there are broader implications here, as there are with all Google products (not trying to sound paranoid here; I think that some of these broader implications are good). To sort of expand on Asad09's comment, the problem with Latitude is that Google thinks that there is a private market for real-time location updates. Let's say that a lot of people decide that this is a cool idea and sign up. This signals to Google that they can continue pushing the limits in this area, just like they did with Streetview in Google Earth. Accountability? Yes. Privacy? Not so much. Some people may be fine with the whole world knowing where they are at all times, but I think there is a huge risk for people getting in over their heads, like with Facebook owning the rights to your content even after you deactivate, only to realize that certain actions cannot be undone and that you are essentially selling your life for nothing in return.
Now if people began to hold companies like Google or Facebook accountable for the practice of information plundering in exchange for what is essentially a shine online toy by forcing them to explicitly state what they have access to and where that information is going, then these applications might not seem so scary. But unfortunately I do not foresee that happening anytime soon, because in this new world of online interactions, we see companies like Google not as the profiling business that they are, but rather as a unseeing liason between us and our friends.
The only people who really need to worry about this application are those who are trying to hide something or want privacy. If you are cheating on your significant other, you're probably not going to want to sign up. If you are a teenage kid and are sneaking out of the house past your parent's curfew, you are probably not going to want this either. I definitely would not even want this in college, for I feel as though I need some privacy in this wired and every growing digital world.
ReplyDeleteIt would be very helpful for parents to use to track down their children in busy places or at amusement parts if people get lost. While the maps may not be exactly good in private locations, it still would at least help bridge the gap to help see where someone is.
I am very interested in see more of what this has to offer.
@Mike Casey. Love it dude. I totally agree with you. Why not? Say I have a network of friends in LA but I live in NY. I am in LA for the day, realize that my good buddy who also lives in NY is in LA. I'll see that he's here, give him a call, meet up with him. It initiates social interaction that might otherwise not happen. More information-->Better. Sorry guys. But it's all open now. I will be surprised if we keep our social security numbers private.
ReplyDeleteAs long as this has proper restrictions such as the ability to turn it on and off....I see no problem.
That's a big if, but then again Google has had an excellent track record thus far when it comes to privacy.
ReplyDeleteWho knows? Maybe they are the exception that proves the rule of corporate greed
Mike Casey's idea that "The only people who really need to worry about this application are those who are trying to hide something or want privacy" seems valid, but I feel that those who would try to hide something or desire personal privacy would not add this application in the first place (with the exception of children whose parents require it of them).
ReplyDeleteI question the motivation behind the availability of such an application perhaps because I am paranoid or simply because I myself would not use it, but I believe it is each person's responsibility to realize both the positive results this application could help bring about and the potential negative consequences that the misuse of such an application could enable, and weigh both in their decision to add or not to add it
...In short, I guess while misuse of google applications may be google's fault, it is the user's risk and therefore the user's responsibility to anticipate the consequences of their actions.
interesting discussion -- I've been watching a little bit about Latitude and realized other companies have been doing real-time location for a long-time now... like loopt (a service for locating your friends on a map, just like latitude). It's an "opt-into" service -- you decide if you want to be detected and by whom.
ReplyDeleteThe issue for me isn't so much 'privacy' (as I would willingly participate at times) but the fact that I don't always want to be "linked in." I feel that my identity is more and more becoming a social network (that is, the extent to which I'm connected and linked to others). To be sure, sometimes I like that, but other times I just want to be unreachable, except perhaps for other human beings standing right beside me.
one more comment -- in case you watched the video about "learn more about Google latitude" (in the post). I find the 'rhetoric' of these videos really quite remarkable:
ReplyDelete1. don't worry, you have complete control.
2. we're not taking away your privacy.
3. i have a global network of friends and this allows me to keep in touch. And they are diverse.
4. it's for families (even my mom, who doesn't have a mobile device).
5. it's all about fun (tennis, surfing, eating).
6. oh, and it's reassuring (my parents avoided that bad storm, thankfully).
Couldn't help it... Google videos about their own products are really a genre to themselves.