Giving End Users Control Over Location Based Information
from the spies-be-gone dept
One of the big concerns about location based services was always about how users would feel about having their location broadcast to whoever for whatever reasons. So, leave it to the technologists to come up with a solution. The folks at Bell Labs have come up with a system that gives the end user some rules-based controls over who can access their location info for what purposes. Don't want the local fast food joint spamming you with coupons? You can block them. Want your friends to know how to locate you when you're out and about? You can allow it. The article is a little short on details as to how the system works, and to what level, but it's got to be better than a simple "on/off" option.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
nice but...
I mean spammers work hard to circumvent the filters WE put in place because we don't want to hear from them, yet they feel we don't have the right to NOT listen.
Doubleclick is saying they are actively trying to find ways to circumvent the pop-up blockers that users have installed because they don't want to see popups from them. They seem to feel justified.
So how long before some marketting morons feel THEY are justified intruding THROUGH these rules that specifically say we don't want to be bothered?
"Well gee, he must mean the OTHER fast food joints around here...not us...let's get 'em"
The best way to be left alone at this point is to simply not develop the technology that allows this kind of intrusion...or at the very least develop it with an eye to preventing abuse.
Location based services, popups, spam, RFID...leave us ALONE already (that's aimed at your basic marketting exec..not you Mike)
What will it take to get that message through? Violence? Seriously, is ANYONE listening?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Just turn it off...
I've left it on so far, but if I start getting location based Spam, I can/will disable it *really* fast.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]