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Google Deducing Wireless Location Data

Posted by timothy on from the peekaboo-the-van-sees-you dept.

bizwriter writes "When it comes to knowing where wireless users are, the carriers have had a lock on the data. But a patent application shows that Google is trying to deduce the information based on packet headers and estimated transmission rates. This would let it walk right around carriers and become another source of location data to advertisers."

4 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. Carriers can mess with this? by KenMcM · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What's stopping carriers from deliberately slowing transmission rates for random customers during random intervals? Just enough such that Google's data is inaccurate.

  2. answered your own question by SuperBanana · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Either this patent is for a technology Google had figured out a long time ago

    Ding ding ding. Google's been using the technology for a while; they just filed for the application.

    You don't have to file for a patent the second you invent something. In fact, you usually want to wait as long as possible before the final steps. You get your foot in the door by filing some paperwork with the patent attorney, notarizing documents showing the invention, etc. etc.

    --
    Please help metamoderate.
  3. Re:Amazing Google by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I hope they figure it out, because ATT somehow keeps my new Samsung phone from running Google maps properly. It can't figure out where it is at all. Makes it useless.

    I don't want to pay the fuckers "by the drink" for a GPS service. And I want to strangle the marketer that invented that idiotic bit of buzzword bingo too.

    --
    Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
  4. The real reason for Google's DNS change suggestion by GrantRobertson · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Now we know the real reason for the suggestion Google has made recently to change the way DNS works to report part of the requesting IP address. They don't give one whit about decreasing unnecessary traffic. They just want to use that for additional location data.