Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean you're not being watched... the LBS debate

Submitted by Marc on Sun, 08/17/2008 - 12:43.

LBS - Location Based Services - is sparking debates by lots of
different groups. For those unfamiliar with the concept, if you have a
mobile device that is GPS enabled, there are applications that will
utilize that functionality in order to provide location specific
information. Familiar examples of this are navigation tools such as
Garmin and Tom Tom - they know where your car is and combine that with
map information to provide directions. This information can get mashed
up with data providers offering business information to inform you
where the nearest pizza place or gas station is. Taken one step
further, these devices can potentially access travel information from
all of their users to determine traffic conditions:

"5 of our users are on a major stretch of Interstate, but only
traveling 3 miles an hour up until a certain point, then they are back
to 65... must be a wreck"

That information can then be used to redirect other users around the incident - it's invisible Web 2.0.

All of that is fine and good. You can leave your Garmin in the glove
compartment and sneak off to your favorite gelato place to cheat on
your diet without anyone being the wiser. However, what about your GPS
enabled phone that is always with you? What secrets is it gathering and
who is it going to tell? Enter the controversy, center stage.

GPS on your phone is not new - I use my AT&T Tilt with Garmin as
my navigation device - however, with the launch of the new iPhone it is
much more visible. There are apps that can provide a map of where you
are and provide directions, tell you about the closest businesses
(Whrrl, Yelp), inform you of where your friends are (Loopt), even map
your jogging path. Privacy advocates are concerned. People that have
stalkers are concerned. Businesses are puzzled... surely there is a way
to make money from this, but how?

Most of the concern, I would like to humbly suggest, is spawned by
how obvious this tracking is to end users. It is clear when you pull up
a map that shows a little, non-nondescript avatar on a map at your
house that someone is watching. Walking to the corner to get milk and
eggs with the avatar coming along for the trip can be eerie. Meet your
friends for dinner, bowling and then see a band and you might start to
be convinced that the "Man" really might be plotting against you as you
become almost certain you heard the avatar emit a devilish chuckle.

But wait... before you throw away that cool iPhone that has you tied
up in a 2-year, $2,400 commitment, let's think about this a little. How
many of the places that you visited in that hypothetical day did you
use a credit card at? Did you take any cash out at an ATM? How many
cameras did you drive/walk past? If you didn't have your GPS phone,
would you have another one and have you used Google maps that doesn't
require GPS, but uses cell tower triangulation to help you navigate?
Surely if Google (which admittedly prides itself on doing no evil) can
find you, a determined "man" could seek you out.

For this conundrum that might cause Winston Smith (1984 reference so
you don't have to Google it) to become nervous, I would like to offer
two categories of recommendations: how to hide yourself as a user and
how businesses can utilize this technology without giving up their
souls.

HOW TO HIDE YOURSELF

Get a physical pay check... no direct deposit
Cash your paycheck and put the money in your shoe (that is more of a safety thing)
Pay for everything in cash .. kinda obvious, but there ya go
Disguise yourself, but not in a freaky clown or Nixon mask - those
are just scary. Try one of the classics such as long haired hippie,
trench-coated spy, Carrot Top, or wookie. You might draw extra
attention, but no one will know it's you.
Get rid of your cell phone and instead insist that your friends
post coded messages in public places. In an emergency, run up to a kind
looking pedestrian in a panic and ask if you may borrow their phone for
just one second. Call your friends and ask them again where that new,
hot underground club is that you are suppose to meet at and make sure
the dress code doesn't require shoes (only applicable if you are using
the hippie disguise).
If you must have a cell phone, turn it off and remove the battery
when it is not in use. It's even better if you could hide the battery
in a tree somewhere - to be really safe.
When introducing yourself, use a pseudonym that is difficult to
remember, such as Neskichi Froombrooke (don't bother Googling, I made
it up). People will have very little interest in trying to remember it.
Don't drive a car
Don't ride in cars. If you must, insist on riding in the trunk.

If you need more incentive to follow these guidelines - read The Soft Cage by Christian Parenti.

BUSINESSES USING LBS WHILST MAINTAINING THEIR SOULS

Businesses aren't bad people, they want to provide the public with
products and services at a fair price, make a little extra so they can
pay their rent and maybe take a vacation on the Alabama coast, and
enjoy whatever it is they do for a living. In fact, I have friends that
are businesses and I can vouch for the goodness in them. There is,
however, a challenge... how to reach the people that are receptive to
what you have to say - that might even actively want to hear from you -
without being a jerk? This applies even more when it comes to LBS.

Let people know when you are watching them. Don't run any tracking
in the background unless you tell them, preferable in big Lucida Sans
Unicode font letters, and let them opt in. Make sure they understand
that you've got their back.
Make sure you actually have their back and don't have other nefarious plans.
Don't share their location information with anyone, but the people they want to share it with.
DON'T SHARE LOCATION INFORMATION WITH ANY OTHER BUSINESSES UNLESS THEY KNOW AND AGREE TO IT.
If you are going to monetize your offering by serving up ads (most
likely this is coming soon), I can dig it - you have to pay for all of
the servers and whatnot. However, get the ads right. You know a good
bit about these people, try to give them information that isn't
clutter, but is useful.
Above all, don't be a jerk