When the Phone Goes With You, Everyone Else Can Tag Along
Washington Post (07/12/08) P. A1; Nakashima, Ellen

The launch of the iPhone 3G highlights the growing sophistication of the
cell phone and mobile device industry, but also presents new privacy
concerns. The iPhone combines GPS functions with the Internet to create a
feature that not only pinpoints a location but displays nearby attractions.
These features and the information they generate could be used by merchants
to target ads, malls to attract shoppers, insurance adjusters to calibrate
premiums, or parents to keep track of children. However, many consumers may
not realize that by sharing this information they are creating permanent
records that network providers, social Web sites, law enforcement, and
others could potentially use to track everywhere they have been. "There's a
disconnect between our expectations of when we will be observed and who will
be observing us and how that information will be used and what the
technology is allowing companies to do," says University of Southern
California law professor Jennifer Urban. Connected devices such as the
iPhone could allow users to locate nearby friends, find nearby events, or
access "geo-tagged" photos taken and uploaded by others at the same
location. As this information migrates from cell phones to social networking
sites, the information suddenly becomes available to hundreds of people,
instead of the small number of people who know the user and have his or her
cell number. However, the technology continues to inspire researchers. At
Microsoft, researchers have collected four years' worth of GPS data from
volunteers to build models that estimate road speeds on Seattle-area streets
and highways to better understand traffic flow. The wireless industry has
guidelines for location-based services that stress consumer notification,
consent, and data security, but self regulation is only part of the
solution. Security experts say baseline federal legislation is needed to
cover all firms that collect personal electronic data.