Privacy Group Calls Google Latitude a Real 'Danger'

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."

Comments

Re:Everyone focuses on the negative

[geekoid]

Ha, I just use their wireless network to open up word pad and type "TURN DOWN THE DAMN MUSIC" in 50 pt font.

Plenty of tin foil to spare

[Anonymous Coward]

Hold on, I'm working on tin foil case for my cell phone!

Re:Tell me again

[jshackney]

If I had to guess, somewhere in Portland?

Putting two Google stories together...

[John Hasler]

Mash

"Recently announced Google Earth version 5.0 adds interesting new features like images of ocean floors and some detailed images of Mars."

up with

"...an upgrade to Google Maps that allows people to track the exact location of friends or family through their mobile devices."

plus a little hacking and amaze your friends and family as you wander along the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Re:Everyone focuses on the negative

[Lumpy]

I use my fiberglass handle 3" cable cutters, snip the conduit clean through right above the electric meter and the music will come down to acceptable levels. Warning, you will see really big sparks just before the fuses on the pole blow.

P.S.: If you use the wrong type cutter, you will simply die a very horrible death.

P.P.S: run fast afterwards and flip your main breaker to fake that you got hit as well. en flip it on saying it must have tripped your main when it happened.

Re:Everyone focuses on the negative

[dotancohen]

If its like the brand new Toshiba laptop I just purchased w/ Vista on it, just plug in a mouse.

Bam, instant BSOD.

When it happened to me, I was quite impressed as you can imagine.

But that would require actually going to the neighbor's house in the first place. At that point you might as well just _ask_ them to turn down the music.

My solution is Pantera. No matter what the neighbors are playing, Pantera is louder. "Fucking Hostile" is over in under three minutes, and by that time 12 other neighbors have already called the cops or taken up arms themselves.