geolocation

A Stanford University researcher has created a Web page allowing people to query Microsoft's massive database for the locations of their--or someone else's--laptops, cell phones, and other Wi-Fi devices.

The Web page, created this morning by Elie Bursztein, a postdoctoral researcher at the Stanford Security Laboratory, lets people type in the unique 12-character Wi-Fi address of any wireless device. If there's a match, the site displays a map of where Windows Phone 7 devices and Microsoft's fleet of Wi-Fi recording vehicles saw the wireless device last.

A CNET article last night provided details about Microsoft's … Read more

Microsoft has collected the locations of millions of laptops, cell phones, and other Wi-Fi devices around the world and makes them available on the Web without taking the privacy precautions that competitors have, CNET has learned.

The vast database available through Live.com publishes the precise geographical location, which can point to a street address and sometimes even a corner of a building, of Android phones, Apple devices, and other Wi-Fi enabled gadgets.

Unlike Google and Skyhook Wireless, which have compiled similar lists of these unique Wi-Fi addresses, Microsoft has not taken any measures to curb access to its database. … Read more

Google recently took steps to limit the disclosure of the locations of millions of iPhones, laptops, and other devices with Wi-Fi connections after a CNET article drew attention to privacy concerns.

Since then, the Mountain View, Calif., company has remained unusually tight-lipped--in contrast to the near-daily updates announcing improvements to its Google+ social network--about how it's limited access to its vast Web database, which was compiled over multiple years by Street View cars and Android phones.

Security researchers, however, haven't exactly been deterred. Instead, they've come to view Google's refusal to discuss the topic as both … Read more

scoop Google's Street View cars collected the locations of millions of laptops, cell phones, and other Wi-Fi devices around the world, a practice that raises novel privacy concerns, CNET has confirmed.

The cars were supposed to collect the locations of Wi-Fi access points. But Google also recorded the street addresses and unique identifiers of computers and other devices using those wireless networks and then made the data publicly available through Google.com until a few weeks ago.

The French data protection authority, known as the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) recently contacted CNET … Read more

Watch the HD video below and you'll see a beautiful visualization of how 880 iPhone users moved around Europe in April.

The video, produced by European Web site CrowdFlow, shows iPhone positions as points of light on a map of Europe. CrowdFlow got the data by convincing volunteers to upload iPhone logs, which periodically show iPhone locations. CrowdFlow's points of light fade and spread out the longer it's been since an iPhone's position was recorded at a particular spot.

The project takes advantage of an iPhone feature that collects the location of nearby Wi-Fi and cell networks. This feature caused a stir when it came to light in April that iPhone users were being tracked without their knowledge.

CrowdFlow is combining data from iPhone logs to create an open database of Wi-Fi and cell networks. The goal is to make it easier to visualize how these networks are distributed. This video showing iPhone locations flickering like fireflies is one result. … Read more

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Monday, June 27.

Facebook valuation seen at $70 billion Investment group GSV Capital has picked up a significant number of shares in Facebook, but its valuation of the social-networking site has garnered more buzz. More

Google curbs Web map exposing phone locales Company limits access to geolocation database linking Wi-Fi devices with physical locations after a CNET article highlighted potential privacy concerns. More

Supreme Court strikes violent game law The U.S. high court invalidates a California law restricting the … Read more

Google Latitude (used with Google Maps) offers another way to keep in touch with friends and family. By sharing locations people can see when it would be easy to grab a quick cup of a coffee together, or when there just isn't time to meet up. Follow these steps to learn how to activate and set up Google Latitude according to your preferences.

1. Open the Google Maps app on your phone or tablet.

2. Press the Menu button and select Join Latitude. If this option doesn't appear, choose More, and then Labs. You will find the Latitude … Read more

Google's mapping-related announcements this week weren't limited to its expansion of MapMaker to the U.S.: On Wednesday, Google announced a new enterprise product called Google Earth Builder, which it says will help businesses process and handle geographic data so that they don't have to do it on their own servers.

"It lets you upload, process, and store your geospatial data in our cloud," a post on the Google Enterprise Blog explained. "Your employees can use familiar tools--Google Maps and Google Earth--to easily and securely share and publish mapping data. No technical expertise or … Read more

eBay, which has been on quite the mobile start-up acquisition spree of late, made it public today that it has acquired Where, a company that makes location-based mobile applications and operates a network of local ads and deals.

More specifically, Boston-based Where has been purchased by eBay's PayPal division, which plans to make the start-up a part of its suite of services for local businesses while keeping the Where consumer app intact.

"Local commerce companies like Where are blurring the lines between in-store and online shopping," noted a PayPal blog post by senior director of global communications … Read more