Big Brother is FINALLY here!

Claim: Google Latitude is dangerous, a tool for the sinister 

Chicago (IL) – Only about 48 hours have passed since Google launched Google Latitude, a feature designed for Google Maps on mobile devices which allows users to find and track their family and friends via a laptop, smartphone, or desktop computer. Since then a privacy group has spoken out with great criticism of the application, claiming it’s dangerous, and could leave users vulnerable.

The application causing this concern launched on Wednesday. By allowing users the ability to identify the location on a map of any Google Latitude-enabled device — and therefore person — one could “see if [their] spouse is stuck in traffic on the way home from work, notice that a buddy is in town for the weekend, or take comfort in knowing that a loved one’s flight landed safely, despite bad weather,” wrote Vic Gundotra, vice president of engineering for Google’s mobile team, in a blog post. The company did address privacy issues and concerns in their blog, stating “Fun aside, we recognize the sensitivity of location data, so we’ve built fine-grained privacy controls right into the application. Everything about Latitude is opt-in. You not only control exactly who gets to see your location, but you also decide the location that they see,” wrote Gundotra.

An advocacy group called Privacy International — based in London — claims that Latitude can be utilized to track unsuspecting users in a sinister or dangerous manner, and this is the main thrust of their concern.

“Latitude appears to present an immediate privacy threat,” Privacy International stated in a statement on Thursday. “The danger arises when a second party can gain physical access to a user’s phone and enables Latitude without the owner’s knowledge.”

The privacy watchdog claims that Google Latitude could be abused when an employer gives an employee a phone with Google Latitude enabled, but does not share the information with an employee. Or for example, when an individual enables Google Latitude on the phone of an unsuspecting individual.

“As it stands right now, Latitude could be a gift to stalkers, prying employers, jealous partners and obsessive friends,” the advocacy group claimed. “The dangers to a user’s privacy and security are as limitless as the imagination of those who would abuse this technology.”
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