letting the world know where you are/another nail in the privacy coffin
yet another great service from Google - Google Latitude. Using it, your friends etc can know where you are at any time. You can have your location updated automatically or you can set it manually (great for those who need to be in two places at once!). Of course its all opt-in and Google has paid quite a bit of attention to privacy etc. It runs on your mobile and to a limited extent, on your computer - it seems you can manually set your location in the iGoogle widget. Anyway, here's where I am:
Of course Google aren't the only ones that offer this type of service or recognise the privacy challenges and marketing challenges related to that. The ubiquitous nature of Google makes it hard to ignore though. Cheers, Jerry. update: when I installed it on my phone I actually read the terms and conditions - scary stuff! (note - I did the highlighting)July 4, 2008 Mobile Terms of Service By using Google's mobile products and services ("Services"), you: 1. Agree to be bound by these terms and a) the YouTube Terms of Use (m.google.com/tos_youtube) for YouTube-related Services, b) the Google Maps Terms and Conditions (m.google.com/tos_maps) for mapping, local and location-based Services, and c) the Google Terms of Service (m.google.com/utos) for all other Services, as updated from time to time. You may use the Services only as set forth in these agreements. Do not use while driving. 2. Acknowledge and agree that third parties may offer Services, and that you may be subject to third party terms and that third parties may enforce terms against you. Google is not responsible for third party changes to the Services. 3. Consent to the collection, use, sharing, and onward transfer of your data, including but not limited to voice and location data, as outlined in the Mobile Privacy Policy (m.google.com/privacy). Location data may be from mixed sources and may not be accurate. Use at your own risk. 4. Acknowledge that certain Services require phone service, data access or text messaging capability. Except as otherwise noted, Google does not charge for the Services, but carrier rates for phone, data and text messaging may apply. The Services may contain third party content. Any required attribution or notice for the third party content may be found at www.google.com/m/legalnotices.> Still pondering whether or not to accept these terms.
