Mobile Location Based Services: Implications on Privacy

Abstract

Mobile Location Based Services (MLBS) have been in operation since the 1970s. Conceived initially for military use, the Global Positioning System technology was later released to the world for other applications. As usage of the technology increased, mobile network points, developed by mobile service operators, supplemented its usage in various applications of MLBS. This chapter charts the trajectory of MLBS applications in the mass market, afforded by the evolution of technology, digital, and mobility cultures. Assimilating various MLBS classifications, it then situates examples into four quadrants according to the measures of user-position or device-position focus, and alert-aware or active-aware applications. The privacy implications of MLBS are captured on the economic, social, and political fronts, and its future is discussed.