Location Privacy Protocols, was Re: GPS trail - crazy idea

[Al Johnson]

On Friday 06 July 2007 15:05, cedric cellier wrote:
> -[ Thu, Jul 05, 2007 at 01:30:48PM -0400, Paul Wouters ]----
>
> > Especially, an implementation of the Pierre protocol would be
> > interesting. In essence, using the protocol, two people can
> > reveal each others location but only when they are close to
> > each other.
>
> I don't see why one user would not want to reveal his location, because
> he already send it regularly, although less precisely, to his telco
> because that's how GSM works. AFAIK, telcos are then free to use this
> information commercialy and forced to give all details to the cops when
> asked to, so I don't see how this app could make things worst.

In the EU they collect this, but they can't give it to a 3rd party without 
obtaining your informed consent. Law enforcement can demand access to this 
and your call/text/IP records under certain curcumstances, though the 
circumstances are getting wider and the level of oversight lower.

> Did I miss something ?

At the moment the telcos don't seem to be making their subscribers' locations 
freely available. If they did I would probably keep my phone turned off until 
I needed it, because I don't trust everybody to be nice. Location-based 
marketing would be annoying. A thief being able to check I was away before 
breaking into my house would be worse.

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