Good News, Fellow Paranoids! Twitter Will Know Where You Are!

Silicon Alley Insider is reporting that very soon Twitter will be able to deliver the precise geographical location of every twit who's tweeting. It makes sense. Many people tweet from implements that have some GPS feature built in. It's not hard to see how the right software could deliver precise whereabouts of each individual twitterer. This information might not be evident to recipients of the precious information that Lenny is about to take a shower. But Twitter Central will know.

I don't know about you, but that seems to me to be one less reason to tweet. I think this places me well outside the digital mainstream. Most people on the leading edge of personal communications don't appear to care. We already have cell phones that can tell anybody with the proper equipment where we are and we don't think much of it. Now there will be a private company with high book value and absolutely no earnings that will be able to market our locations as well.

Proof of this attitudinal shift may be seen in the jolly tone of Dan Frommer's report in the Alley. He writes:

Twitter has already built a great service to track what people are saying in real-time. But knowing where they're saying it could be even more valuable. So as Twitter continues to build out its product, adding location data to tweets will be an important move.

The good news is that Twitter seems to be moving in that direction. For instance, the company has recently hired a new member for its platform team with a background in location services: Ryan Sarver, who most recently worked at Boston-based Skyhook Wireless. That's the company whose wi-fi-based location service powers Apple's iPod touch and helps out on the iPhone, among other gadgets.

Funny, isn't it? One man's paranoid nightmare is another man's exciting new development.

Comments

[meede]

Sounds like a program they want to do the same as some web sites and blogs did as there has been the talk of some TV whatever. I think this development would allow stalking and ambush and being able to post the pics and info where the people are. This would create a safety and security issue for people. It wouldn't be any different than TMZ and those garbage sites but by so doing what they do -- they put people in harms way. Bad enough the paparazzi chasing celebs in cars when the general public are also driving and walking on the streets. Puts a lot of people safety and security at risk and they take no responsibility for it.

If this develops, you can be guaranteed under the fine print of the rules of the site it will be buried that they are not responsible for any loss, damages, etc.

[indemnitypop]

Seriously? You're most likely going to be able to turn it off. Don't know about the off switch for the GPS on cell phones, but Twitter already has pretty good built in privacy options, and I don't see why they wouldn't continue that.

[QueenCeleste]

Oh, how I wish we could turn the clock back about 15 years or so.....

[kankan]

Twitter = TMI technology. Too Much Information Systems.

[littleolwinemakerme]

What is twittering, & why should anyone care?

[jsgaetano]

Who is the genius who thinks enabling stalkers is a great use of technology?

[RumiSouth]

Right out of my mouth...

[fleaba]

I didn't even think of this. I was thinking of companies and the govt tracking people, but you are right on with this. So I guess that's another thing my daughter won't be using.

[blindhog]

I wonder what happens when a tweeter, or blogger, or poster upsets all branches of government, all enemies, known and unknown----will that tweeter, blogger, or poster be subjected to undercover surveilence and because of all the surveilence is it possible that everyones' cover is blown?

Heck, we might be saving the world by tweeting, etc.

[Moonlighter]

We are building our own grassroots surveillance networks. Some quasi-fascist unitary executive in the future is going to be, like, totally psyched. Tweet this.

[bionicturkey]

twitter is the most obnoxious internet sensation ever. it promotes inanity like no other tech could. did we really need another avenue for narcissisms? worse: its format guarantees a lack of substance!

[Nezua]

Um...this is old news. You can already attach your location via GPS to a tweet. But if your phone has GPS services turned off (you can do it in the settings, i do), doesn't matter. It won't send your coordinates.

Stuck for an article this week? ;)

[Paul]

Exactly...

[FoonTheElder]

Thanks for the warning Stanley! I sure don't need Twitter, as I already know where to find more than enough twits....and I don't need the cost of an electronic connection to find them.