I have mixed feelings about location-based services like Google Latitude, which pinpoints and shares your location in real time, or Foursquare, the application allowing you to "check in" and share your location with friends. Granted, there are privacy settings, but the whole tracking-in-real-time thing creeps me out a bit.
Now it seems Latitude got a little bit creepier. According to a Google blog post, your location history will now be saved to access it later. Useful for remembering where you were last weekend, or for finding that cool restaurant whose name you forgot to jot down; scary for anyone worried about potential stalkers.
I'm not a big user of these services, so I can't decide how I feel about the new feature. What do you think? Is Latitude saving too much information, or is it just another enhancement to their service?
Hatbox
I understand how it can be useful for someone who is spending 3 months traveling Europe or a band who is on tour, but for me I will stick to using Foursquare and choosing who gets to see where I am when I am there.
1This could be extremely beneficial in crime solving.
2I'm no CSI, but if someone had this feature and went missing...it might be easier to locate them
@nicolecat: but remember you can set your location to somewhere else and have it locked there.. and what's available for police shouldn't necessarily be shared with the public MANY.
Problem is not only Latitude, all services are getting creepier with the geo-tagging and location-aware services. Specifically talking, twitter, flickr + an iphone's camera could bring lots of problems
3i just feel like this is why restraining orders are in practice, so people can't stalk you in real life.. i'm just saying
4Good point buffbabe.
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