Locate! -When do Users Disclose Location?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Location information and traces (via tracking) can reveal vast amounts of information about a user: where she lives, works, and even which restaurants or friends she visits. Therefore, this information should be handled with sufficient concern and care. Willingness to disclose one's location is influenced by various factors including who is asking the location and what the reason for the location request is, as well as individual characteristics such as one's privacy concerns. This paper outlines a study aimed at determining the relationship between these factors and users' willingness to share their location with others using a mobile device. To study this, we developed a mobile application that lets the users share their current location with others at various levels of accuracy. Using the application, we ran a field study simulating the communication between the participants and their various contacts. Our results show that mainly the personal, rather than external factors influence the tendency for location disclosure. Users with lower privacy concerns regarding the accuracy of personal information share their location with more accuracy. Also, people who generally feel close with others tend to disclose their location more accurately