Google's new "My Location" feature in Google Maps for phones creates an "unnecessary privacy risk," according to Marc Rotenberg, director of EPIC. In his view, it is safer and more private for consumers to use a standalone GPS device for location information instead of Google Maps. "A typical GPS device leaves the user in control," he said. In light of recent reports that federal agents routinely request cell phone tracking data from cellular companies, the announcement by Google of its new "My Location" feature for the mobile version of Google Maps raises some serious privacy concerns. On Wednesday, Google announced that users of version 2.0 of Google Maps for mobile would be able to see their approximate location on the mobile map. Rather than rely strictly on GPS, which is not available in all phones and can drain mobile batteries quickly, Google uses cell tower ID information to calculate the device's location. The accuracy of the map...
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