Humancentric Applications of Precise Location Based Services

Mobile technologies, which allow users to move around while maintaining the ability to access a network and its services, now claim a significant degree of attention in both industry and academia. In this vision, one particular attribute gains critical importance: location. The ability to pinpoint a mobile user’s location creates a new class of applications and services. These location based services (LBS) exploit the known location of a user to provide services dependent on their geographic context and personalised needs. However, as newer positioning technologies are introduced into the market with a greater level of location accuracy, and existing technologies are integrated to overcome limitations, issues pertaining to the use and potential misuse of location information rise to the fore. In addition to this, perhaps because LBS are so new, there has been limited investigation into exactly what effects the widespread use of these technologies may have. This thesis aims to rectify a gap in current knowledge by presenting a plausible scenario that describes how humancentric applications of LBS could change the world of tomorrow, based on the current state of development. It also makes several original contributions in an analysis of legal, ethical, social and technological issues that arise from the scenario

Control, trust, privacy, and security: evaluating location-based services

Location-based services (LBS) are those applications that utilize the position of an end-user, animal, or thing based on a given device (handheld, wearable, or implanted), for a particular purpose. This article uses scenario planning to identify the possible risks related to location-based services in the context of security and privacy. The original contribution of this article is that the dilemma has been related specifically to LBS, under the privacy-security dichotomy. Here, each side of the dichotomy is divided into three key components that combine to greatly magnify risk. Removing one or more components for each set decreases the privacy or security risk. Where more elements are present in conjunction, the risk is increased

The Importance of Scenarios in Evaluating the Socio-ethical Implications of Location-based Services

Location-based services (LBS) are those applications that utilize the position of an end-user, animal or thing based on a given device (handheld, wearable, interwoven into fabric or implanted), executed for a particular purpose. LBS applications range from those that are mission-critical to those that are used for convenience, from those that are mandatory to those that are voluntary, from those that are targeted at the mass market to those that cater for the needs of a niche market. Location services can be implemented using a variety of access mediums including global positioning systems and radio-frequency identification, rendering approximate or precise position details. The introduction of location-based services, which are growing in sophistication and complexity, has brought with it a great deal of uncertainty. Unaddressed topics include: who is accountable for the accuracy and availability of location information, prioritization for location frequency reporting, the user’s freedom to opt-in and opt-out of services, caregiver and guardian rights and responsibilities, the transparency of transactions, the duration of location information storage. Some of these controversies are the focus of court cases across the United States, usually between service providers and disgruntled end-users or law enforcement agencies and suspected criminals. While we can wait for the courts to set precedence and then take legislative action to learn about how we should act and what we should accept as morally right or wrong, this is only a small part in considering the emerging ethics of an innovation such as location-based services. Laws, similar to global technical standards take a long time to enact. A more holistic approach is required to analyze technology and social implications. This paper uses scenarios in the form of short stories to summarize and draw out, the likely issues that will arise from widespread adoption of LBS. It is a plausible future scenario, grounded in the realism of today’s technological capabilities

Humancentric Applications of Precise Location Based Services

This paper focuses on the growing need to consider the implications of humancentric applications of precise location based services (LBS). As newer positioning technologies are introduced into the market with a greater level of location accuracy, and existing technologies are utilized in an integrated fashion to overcome limitations, issues pertaining to the use and potential misuse of location information rise to the fore. The scenario planning methodology provides a robust approach within which to consider future possibilities based on current market developments. To this end, document and content analysis play an important role in the collection of facts used to illustrate a given set of scenarios. The contribution of this paper is in providing adequate evidence toward precise LBS and in identifying those attributes that will guide the formation of the narrative descriptions in future research. The preliminary results of the study indicate that societal, ethical and legal implications need to be given greater attention as precise LBS applications will be increasingly used in the tagging, tracking and tracing of humans

Location-Based Services and the Privacy-Security Dichotomy

Location-based services (LBS) rely on knowledge of a user’s location to provide tailored services or information by means of a wireless device. LBS applications have wide-ranging implications for society, particularly in the context of tracking and monitoring groups of individuals such as children, invalids, and parolees. Despite a great deal of attention paid to technical and commercial aspects of LBS technologies, consideration of the legal, ethical, social and technology momentum issues involved has been wanting. This paper examines some of the more pressing issues that are expected to arise from the widespread use of LBS. The outcome of this paper is the development of an LBS privacy-security dichotomy. The dichotomy demonstrates the importance of striking a balance between the privacy of the individual and national security as a whole. It also presents a realized framework for reasoning about potentially problematic issues in LBS applications

European Computer Manufacturers Association. Reference Model for Frameworks of Software Engineering Environments

of Location-based Services Location-based services (LBS) are those applications that utilize the position of an end-user, animal or thing based on a given device (handheld, wearable, interwoven into fabric or implanted), executed for a particular purpose. LBS applications range from those that are mission-critical to those that are used for convenience, from those that are mandatory to those that are voluntary, from those that are targeted at the mass market to those that cater for the needs of a niche market. Location services can be implemented using a variety of access mediums including global positioning systems and radio-frequency identification, rendering approximate or precise position details. The introduction of location-based services, which are growing in sophistication and complexity, has brought with it a great deal of uncertainty. Unaddressed topics include: who is accountable for the accuracy and availability of location information, prioritization for location frequency reporting, the user’s freedom to opt-in and opt-out of services, caregiver and guardian rights and responsibilities, the transparency of transactions, the duration of location information storage. Some of these controversies are the focus of court cases across the United States, usually between service providers and disgruntled end-users or law enforcement agencies and suspected criminals. While we can wait for the court

ICMU2006 Location-Based Services and the Privacy-Security Dichotomy

Location-based services (LBS) rely on knowledge of a user’s location to provide tailored services or information by means of a wireless device. LBS applications have wideranging implications for society, particularly in the context of tracking and monitoring groups of individuals such as children, invalids, and parolees. Despite a great deal of attention paid to technical and commercial aspects of LBS technologies, consideration of the legal, ethical, social and technology momentum issues involved has been wanting. This paper examines some of the more pressing issues that are expected to arise from the widespread use of LBS. The outcome of this paper is the development of an LBS privacy-security dichotomy. The dichotomy demonstrates the importance of striking a balance between the privacy of the individual and national security as a whole. It also presents a realized framework for reasoning about potentially problematic issues in LBS applications