Google Latitude is the latest installment of a beta program from Google. It is used as a tracking device to find your friends through Gmail, Gtalk, or text. By enlisting in this free program, your e-mail recipient or fellow Gtalker will know where you are. Pretty spooky, eh? One of the software programmers for Google thought this would be a cool feature to have especially since as an avid traveler, he’d rather have folks know where he is instead of having to waste an e-mail to discuss it. And by the time he answered, he was already in a different place.
The good. You’ll get to know where your friends and family members are right away. If your parents are travelling cross country, you’ll be able to easily keep track of them.
The bad. Can you say “stalkers?” Or ex-boy/girl-friend? This is not a good feature for those you are not in contact with any more. But, you can turn of the feature.
This Google feature has already sparked some debate on the classic privacy laws among computer consultants. One side argues that it invades privacy and the other side contends that the Internet is still a free realm for those to do as they choose on it. Feel free to comment on your thoughts if you feel Google Latitude should be allowed especially in this time of identity theft and spyware provokers.
