Pros have long had access to Google Maps Engine if they need to highlight anything from local stores to natural resources. Today, Google is catering to the rest of us would-be cartographers with a beta for Google Maps Engine Lite. The web service lets everyday users draw objects and import locations for their own reference, whether it’s plotting favorite hiking trails or pinpointing worthwhile places on an upcoming vacation. Map makers can stylize the maps and share them with others, if they like — the Lite label mostly limits users to “small” spreadsheet imports and a maximum of three data sets for comparisons. As long as you can live within those prescribed boundaries, you can try the slimmed down engine right now.
Via: Google Lat Long Blog
Source: Google Maps Engine Lite
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Answer by bluebellWould it work if you opened a second account? It’s worth a try.
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Okay, this may not bring the most sweeping changes in the history of the Google Maps application, but who can say no to the promise of better battery life? The fresh update to the Android app, version 6.3 to be exact, brings along the customary bug fixes. And, for those of you using the Latitude and location history, you should notice some improvements in the juice department — because you need all the power you can get when stalking folks all over town. We know you’re eager to get past VIP status and become the Guru at the local watering hole, so head on down to the source link and get the update to make it happen.
Google Maps for Android gets updated, improves battery life for Latitude, location history users originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Remember all that iPhone tracking hubbub back in April? Sure you do — you probably also recall Apple’s denial, the subsequent Senate hearing, and the rest of the fiasco’s dramatic fallout. Amid the ballyhoo, Microsoft stepped out to admit that its Windows Phone also collected location data, but quickly promised to knock it off following the next scheduled update. According to ChevronWP7 collaborator Rafael Rivera, Windows Phone 7.5 cinches it: Mango “no longer sends location data prior to being granted permission to do so.” Redmond previously told the US House of Representatives that it only collected location data if a user expressly allowed an application to send it along — a claim which Rivera debunked last week, noting that simply launching the camera application captured and transmitted “pin-point accurate positioning information.” The big M maintains that the collected location data was anonymous, and that it shouldn’t have been sent at all unless the user allowed it. Either way, Microsoft’s chapter in the big location tracking blunder of 2011 seems to be at a close, squaring the firm with Congress, its developers, and hopefully its customers.
Mango kills Microsoft’s always-on location tracking, makes good on letter to House of Representatives originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 02:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Windows Phone 7 camera location notification
Microsoft admitted on Wednesday that the company has identified an “unintended behavior” in its Windows Phone 7 location services.
Microsoft has been accused of tracking Windows Phone locations without explicit end user consent over the past few weeks. A lawsuit was filed in a Seattle federal court earlier this month, backed by analysis from a well known security researcher. Windows Phone 7 sends user location info to Microsoft’s inference.location.live.net even if a user says “no” when prompted by the mobile operating system’s camera application. The behavior was confirmed by Rafael Rivera, famous for his work on jailbreaking Windows Phone 7. Rivera originally revealed that packets of data were sent to Microsoft’s location services before a user selected an accept button in Windows Phone 7 to communicate its location. Rivera also discovered that Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 update resolves the specific camera issue.
Microsoft issued a statement on Wednesday to admit the issues with its Windows Phone 7 location services. “We have completed our investigation into the Windows Phone’s location service and the unintended sending of Wi-Fi access point and cell tower information,” said a Microsoft spokesperson. The software giant also updated its privacy pages with an important notification:
“We have identified an unintended behavior in the Windows Phone 7 software that results in information about nearby Wi-Fi access points and cell towers being periodically sent to Microsoft when using the Camera application, and, for phones that are configured for US-English, when using the phone’s voice command features (such as “Find Pizza”). For the Camera, the software bug results in the behavior even where you have disabled geo-tagging photos in the Camera application.
The Windows Phone 7.5 update eliminates this unintended behavior by the Camera application and voice command feature. After the update, information about nearby Wi-Fi access points and cell towers will be sent when using the Camera application only if you have agreed to tag your photos with location. For voice commands, location information will no longer be requested and information about nearby Wi-Fi access points and cell towers will not be sent to Microsoft when using voice commands.”
Microsoft also revealed that Windows Phone 7.5 suffers from a location services bug too. “We also have identified that the Windows Phone 7.5 update contains an unintended behavior when using the “Me” feature in the People Hub,” said a Microsoft spokesperson. Wi-Fi access points and cell tower information is sent to the Windows Phone location service each time a user accesses the “Me” feature in Windows Phone 7.5:
“This behavior is unintended and will be eliminated as part of the next scheduled update to Windows Phone 7.5. After that update, information about nearby Wi-Fi access points and cell towers will be sent only if you have agreed to allow the “Check In” function of the “Me” feature to access and use location information.
You will receive a notice on your phone when software updates are available, and you can always disable all access to location information by applications and collection of location information by the Windows Phone location service at any time by going to Settings > Location and toggling the location switch to OFF. ”
Microsoft identifies privacy bugs in Windows Phone location services, promises update fix originally appeared at WinRumors.com.
Windows Phone 7 camera location notification
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” update has introduced an important privacy change to the operating system.
Microsoft has been accused of tracking Windows Phone locations without explicit end user consent. A lawsuit was filed in a Seattle federal court earlier this month, backed by analysis from a well known security researcher. Windows Phone 7 allegedly sends user location info to Microsoft’s inference.location.live.net even if a user says “no” when prompted by the mobile operating system’s camera application.
Microsoft denied the claims earlier this week and insisted that the company was investigating the accusations. “Microsoft is investigating the claims raised in the complaint,” explained a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement issued shortly after the lawsuit. “We take consumer privacy issues very seriously. Our objective was — and remains — to provide consumers with control over whether and how data used to determine the location of their devices are used, and we designed the Windows Phone operating system with this in mind.”
It now appears that Microsoft has made a change to the way the camera application accesses location data in Windows Phone 7.5. Rafael Rivera, famous for his work on jailbreaking Windows Phone 7, originally revealed that packets of data were sent to Microsoft’s location services before a user selected an accept button in Windows Phone 7 to communicate its location. Rivera has now completed the same tests on Windows Phone 7.5 and he claims that Microsoft no longer sends location data prior to being granted permission to do so. “The behavior I’m now seeing is perfectly aligned with Microsoft’s letter to the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Rivera in a blog post on Wednesday. Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 operating system now correctly adheres to the company’s promised location functionality:
- Microsoft does not collect information to determine the approximate location of a device unless a user has expressly allowed an application to collect location information
- Microsoft only collects information to help determine a phone’s approximate location if (a) the user has allowed an application to access and use location data, and (b) that application actually requests the location data.
Microsoft is still the subject of the ongoing lawsuit despite the changes in Windows Phone 7.5.
Windows Phone 7.5 no longer accesses location data without authorization originally appeared at WinRumors.com.
Windows Phone 7 camera location notification
Claims in a lawsuit against Microsoft over Windows Phone location management have been proven true.
Microsoft has been accused of tracking Windows Phone locations without explicit end user consent. A lawsuit was filed in a Seattle federal court earlier this month, backed by analysis from a well known security researcher. Windows Phone 7 allegedly sends user location info to Microsoft’s inference.location.live.net even if a user says “no” when prompted by the mobile operating system’s camera application.
Microsoft denied the claims earlier this month and insisted that the company is investigating the accusations. “Microsoft is investigating the claims raised in the complaint,” explained a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement issued shortly after the lawsuit. “We take consumer privacy issues very seriously. Our objective was — and remains — to provide consumers with control over whether and how data used to determine the location of their devices are used, and we designed the Windows Phone operating system with this in mind.”
Rafael Rivera, famous for his work on jailbreaking Windows Phone 7, has investigated the claims thoroughly. After initially labelling the claims “skimpy”, Rivera has tested the camera application in Windows Phone 7 to determine whether Microsoft sends device location information to its servers without explicit user confirmation. Rivera explains that packets are sent to agps.location.live.net and several to Microsoft’s Location Inference service hosted at inference.location.live.net. Items transmitted include (but aren’t limited to):
- OS Version
- Device Information
- Wireless access points around the device including MAC addresses and power levels
- Various GUID-based identifiers
The response to the packets includes pin-point location information before a user hits the accept button to allow Windows Phone 7 to communicate its location. Rivera explains Microsoft is likely caching the location ready for the user to accept the location services functionality. “The question is whether the Microsoft servers in question are in fact collecting data about the phone or simply returning this information with no storage abilities,” says Rivera. Either way, the behaviour runs against what Microsoft has promised of its Windows Phone 7 functionality:
- Microsoft does not collect information to determine the approximate location of a device unless a user has expressly allowed an application to collect location information
- Microsoft only collects information to help determine a phone’s approximate location if (a) the user has allowed an application to access and use location data, and (b) that application actually requests the location data.
WinRumors has reached out to Microsoft for comment on the latest revelations. The company was unable to supply a statement at the time of writing.
Windows Phone proven to access location data without authorisation originally appeared at WinRumors.com.
Microsoft's Live.com location map
Microsoft has denied claims that it collects phone location data without permission.
The software giant is the subject of a lawsuit filed last week which claims that Microsoft’s camera software in Windows Phone 7 users location data without explicit authorisation from end users. The lawsuit was filed in a Seattle federal court last week, backed by analysis from a well known security researchers. Windows Phone 7 allegedly sends user location info to Microsoft’s inference.location.live.net even if a user says “no” when prompted by the mobile operating system.
Microsoft denies the claims and insists the company is investigating the accusations. “Microsoft is investigating the claims raised in the complaint,” explained a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement issued on Monday. “We take consumer privacy issues very seriously. Our objective was — and remains — to provide consumers with control over whether and how data used to determine the location of their devices are used, and we designed the Windows Phone operating system with this in mind.”
The Microsoft spokesperson also explained that the software maker does not store unique identifiers with any data transmitted to their location services database. “The data captured and stored on our location database cannot be correlated to a specific device or user,” said a Microsoft spokesperson. “Any transmission of location data by the Windows Phone camera would not enable Microsoft to identify an individual or ‘track’ his or her movements.”
Microsoft has previously tweaked its location services in response to privacy fears. Microsoft implemented a change on July 30 to its geographic location positioning service. The change added improved filtering to validate requests so that the service would no longer return an inferred position when a single Media Access Control address is submitted. Users could previously retrace where a computer has been using its MAC address to query Microsoft’s location database.
Microsoft denies Windows Phone location tracking accusations originally appeared at WinRumors.com.
Kim Hyung-Suk has been busy these past few months. An attorney based out of Seoul, he gained a bit of notoriety for being the first person to receive a cash settlement from Apple for the iPhone’s location-tracking tendencies. He also announced that he and his law firm, Mirae Law, would be looking into the possibility of filing a class-action suit against Apple. According to a report from Bloomberg, with 27,000 Korean complainants on board, that suit was filed today.
Credit where credit is due, Kim Hyung-Suk certainly has a sense of humor. The website set up by his firm last July to reach out to potential plaintiffs greets visitors with an ironic spin on Apple’s language: “Finally. The real action against Apple. Now available here.“
Mr. Hyung-Suk’s original payout was 1 million won (roughly $ 930), and the firm is seeking that same reward for each of the 27,000 affected customers. This news comes hot on the heels of news that Apple was being fined 3 million ($ 2,808) won by the Korea Communications Commission for collecting location data even when users disabled all the pertinent features. If this keeps up, Apple may soon be looking at paying out some serious money in compensation.
Should Apple settle in this suit, the rough total in compensation paid out would be the Korean equivalent of over $ 25 million. Given that Kim Hyung-Suk successfully got his piece of the pie, Apple may be looking at some serious legal maneuvers to try and get the suit dismissed. In fairness, with over $ 76 billion in their domestic coffers, the settlement costs would be a proverbial drop in the bucket. Still, expect to see Apple put up a concerted defense against the suit in coming weeks.
The iPhone location tracking saga took yet another twist today, with South Korea’s communications regulatory body ordering Apple Korea to pay three million won (about $ 2,828) for collecting personal information without authorization. The fine certainly won’t break Cupertino’s bank, but it does set a precedent, marking the first time that a regulator has taken Apple to task over the issue. A few weeks ago, a Korean court ordered the company to pay about $ 1,000 in compensation to an individual who brought action against Apple, as part of a case that is expected to blossom into a larger, class-action suit. Kim Hyung-suk, the lawyer spearheading the campaign, told Reuters that he’s looking to file the lawsuit “by next week.” Apple’s Korean unit, meanwhile, is still claiming innocence, with spokesman Steve Park saying: “Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.” Park, however, would not say whether or not the company will agree to pay the fine.
Korean regulator fines Apple $ 2,800 over iPhone location tracking controversy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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