Location, Location, Privacy
Posted by Petrice Gaskin at Jul. 17, 2008
Michael Arrington has an interesting post on TechCrunch about how he believes it is a mistake for Facebook and Myspace to not incorporate the iPhone's location awareness feature into their networks.
He acknowledges that both have stated that they intend to release future versions that will incorporate the technology, but he argues that a speedy adaptation can drive user growth and open both social networks up to new audiences. Arrington implies that both companies are proceeding slowly because of legality and privacy concerns.
I believe it's extremely smart of Facebook and Myspace to proceed with caution. The iPhone's location awareness feature presents so many wonderful opportunities as well as dangers. Any technology that can broadcast your location to others presents a myriad of privacy concerns, and when stepping onto such treacherous terrain it's best to proceed with caution. Missteps could not only result in lawsuits but possibly endangering of users safety.
I'm pretty excited to see how a mobile culture will evolve, and my imagination has been greatly piqued by the opportunities that the iPhone's location awareness technology presents, but the initial companies that seek to capitalize upon it must move forward in a thoughtful way that acknowledges and anticipates the potential pitfalls inherent in the technology.
Any major players that utilize it would do best to set up systems that allow users to opt-in to sharing various levels of information with particular or specific groups of people. I as a user would want to have a great deal of control over how my information was shared.
He acknowledges that both have stated that they intend to release future versions that will incorporate the technology, but he argues that a speedy adaptation can drive user growth and open both social networks up to new audiences. Arrington implies that both companies are proceeding slowly because of legality and privacy concerns.
I believe it's extremely smart of Facebook and Myspace to proceed with caution. The iPhone's location awareness feature presents so many wonderful opportunities as well as dangers. Any technology that can broadcast your location to others presents a myriad of privacy concerns, and when stepping onto such treacherous terrain it's best to proceed with caution. Missteps could not only result in lawsuits but possibly endangering of users safety.
I'm pretty excited to see how a mobile culture will evolve, and my imagination has been greatly piqued by the opportunities that the iPhone's location awareness technology presents, but the initial companies that seek to capitalize upon it must move forward in a thoughtful way that acknowledges and anticipates the potential pitfalls inherent in the technology.
Any major players that utilize it would do best to set up systems that allow users to opt-in to sharing various levels of information with particular or specific groups of people. I as a user would want to have a great deal of control over how my information was shared.