By Scott Gilbertson November 7, 2008 Categories: Operating Systems, Software & Tools
From FireEagle to iPhone apps that use your current location, everyone it seems is racing to get on the geo-aware software bandwagon. So far most geo-aware features have been opt-in and offer reasonable privacy controls (FireEagle is a good example of this), but Microsoftâs upcoming Windows 7 plans to offer developers location tools at the operating system level and the company doesnât seem to think users care about control or privacy.
Before you freak out at the thought that Redmond will soon be tracking your every move, keep in mind that the new features will be disabled by default. Thatâs the good news.
The bad news is that if you turn the geo features on, there are very few controls available and, yes, Microsoft could easily track your every move. Now you can freak out.
According to CNet, which saw a demo of the new geo features, once the service is turned on, there are only two means of limiting the geo-tracking â you can either limit to a specific user, or you can limit it to just traditional applications (rather than services running in the background).
But hereâs the essential problem: If you enable the geo-tracking for say, a restaurant searching app in your gadgets collection, thereâs no way to stop other apps from accessing your location as well. Itâs an all or nothing feature.
While geo-aware locations are certain a hot item in the software world right now, theyâre also at the heart of many ongoing privacy debates. Unfortunately Microsoftâs new feature is exactly the sort of thing that turns peopleâs mild suspicions into full, raging paranoia.
Hereâs Microsoftâs explanation for why the geo-tracking will not offer much control. Itâs also the paranoidâs greatest fear in a nutshell:
The reason, Microsoft officials say, is that Windows doesnât have a reliable means of determining that an application is what it says it is, so any attempt to limit the location to a specific application would be easily spoofable.
So the short story is Windows 7 has geo-tracking features, but aside from turning them on and off, you have basically no control.
That strikes us as a recipe for disaster and something that will eventually blow up in Microsoftâs face (whether justified or not) because geo-tracking is a very sensitive issue and this implementation seems entirely ham-fisted and ill-conceived. Of course itâs a little better than past attempts by the company, which donât even offer an on/off switch.
But why, for the love of all thing sane, would Microsoft not at least offer to notify you when an app is trying access geo-information? Indeed, that would be a good start. Then add the ability to deny the application access and youâre getting to the useful stage. Unfortunately, Microsoft reps tell CNet that such controls are ânot currently on Microsoftâs roadmap for Windows 7.â
CNetâs report comes from the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference happening this week in Los Angeles and cites several reps from hardware vendors who donât seem to think users care about privacy controls â because itâs too complicated. There may be some truth to that, but we suspect, as geo-tracking features become more widespread and people start to realize what they are capable of, people are going to care.
The only real saving grace is that Window 7 remains in the active development stage and thereâs no telling what the finished product will really look like. But that said, we think the geo-tracking capabilities are off to rocky start. No doubt the company would love to be able to offer advertisers location-specific ads that target niche areas, but will users stand for it?
From FireEagle to iPhone apps that use your current location, everyone it seems is racing to get on the geo-aware software bandwagon. So far most geo-aware features have been opt-in and offer reasonable privacy controls (FireEagle is a good example of this), but Microsoftâs upcoming Windows 7 plans to offer developers location tools at the operating system level and the company doesnât seem to think users care about control or privacy.
Before you freak out at the thought that Redmond will soon be tracking your every move, keep in mind that the new features will be disabled by default. Thatâs the good news.
The bad news is that if you turn the geo features on, there are very few controls available and, yes, Microsoft could easily track your every move. Now you can freak out.
According to CNet, which saw a demo of the new geo features, once the service is turned on, there are only two means of limiting the geo-tracking â you can either limit to a specific user, or you can limit it to just traditional applications (rather than services running in the background).
But hereâs the essential problem: If you enable the geo-tracking for say, a restaurant searching app in your gadgets collection, thereâs no way to stop other apps from accessing your location as well. Itâs an all or nothing feature.
While geo-aware locations are certain a hot item in the software world right now, theyâre also at the heart of many ongoing privacy debates. Unfortunately Microsoftâs new feature is exactly the sort of thing that turns peopleâs mild suspicions into full, raging paranoia.
Hereâs Microsoftâs explanation for why the geo-tracking will not offer much control. Itâs also the paranoidâs greatest fear in a nutshell:
The reason, Microsoft officials say, is that Windows doesnât have a reliable means of determining that an application is what it says it is, so any attempt to limit the location to a specific application would be easily spoofable.
So the short story is Windows 7 has geo-tracking features, but aside from turning them on and off, you have basically no control.
That strikes us as a recipe for disaster and something that will eventually blow up in Microsoftâs face (whether justified or not) because geo-tracking is a very sensitive issue and this implementation seems entirely ham-fisted and ill-conceived. Of course itâs a little better than past attempts by the company, which donât even offer an on/off switch.
But why, for the love of all thing sane, would Microsoft not at least offer to notify you when an app is trying access geo-information? Indeed, that would be a good start. Then add the ability to deny the application access and youâre getting to the useful stage. Unfortunately, Microsoft reps tell CNet that such controls are ânot currently on Microsoftâs roadmap for Windows 7.â
CNetâs report comes from the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference happening this week in Los Angeles and cites several reps from hardware vendors who donât seem to think users care about privacy controls â because itâs too complicated. There may be some truth to that, but we suspect, as geo-tracking features become more widespread and people start to realize what they are capable of, people are going to care.
The only real saving grace is that Window 7 remains in the active development stage and thereâs no telling what the finished product will really look like. But that said, we think the geo-tracking capabilities are off to rocky start. No doubt the company would love to be able to offer advertisers location-specific ads that target niche areas, but will users stand for it?