Too much Latitude on privacy?

Fellow Naked Lawyer Peter might think that Latitude is a sedate music festival held annually on the Suffolk coast, but in fact it’s Google’s new location tracking technology.

It allows users to share their current location with each other and can display individual locations on a map. As someone that has never used Facebook for the simple reason that there are lots of people I don’t want to be able to track me down, this idea slightly alarms. We all know that our locations are largely trackable in retrospect via CCTV, credit card and mobile phone usage etc. In many cases this has significant benefits, in tracking criminals or if you’ve got lost on a mountain (although the lack of cameras and cash points might be an issue there). But do you really want people to know precisely where you are at any time?

According to the Guardian’s report, Google say that all its tracking features are “opt-in” and that different privacy levels can be set for each contact. But there are still a couple of major issues. Firstly, will people understand the settings and/or the implications of allowing people to view their locations? As a lawyer, I tend to read the small print, but most people don’t – just look at the publicity around users’ failure to grasp the security settings on Facebook. Secondly, what is Google itself going to do with all this location data? On what terms might it disclose it to others (whether in real time or afterwards)?

I can only imagine that there have been and will continue to be some major headaches for Google’s data protection lawyers as they get to grips with the implications and draft their privacy policies. Given the all too familiar headlines about loss and misuse of personal data, Google will no doubt be keen to look whiter than white.

Comments

[Peter]

For "sedate music festival", read "vibrant, hip music festival/arts event (aimed at the Radio 4/Guardian demographic)".