location

Fri
18
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: Change Network from Public to Private in Windows 10

Infopackets Reader Tim C. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently upgraded to Windows 10 and have a rather perplexing issue. A few days ago I opened my laptop and Windows 10 presented me with a window, asking me if I was using a public or private network. ... I clicked the public network button, not thinking much of it - however, ever since then I cannot connect to my laptop using Remote Desktop (from the PC), nor can I use TightVNC, which is an alternative to Remote Desktop. Also, when I launch some programs (for example, Kodi to play movies), the Windows firewall tells me that the program I just ... (view more)

Mon
21
Apr
Brandon Dimmel's picture

Facebook Releases Controversial 'Friend Tracker' App

Facebook has officially released a new and somewhat controversial feature that allows users to track the location of their friends. But if used maliciously, the app raises major privacy concerns. The application is called "Nearby Friends" and it ... uses location information collected by smartphones. Facebook says its goal is to make it simple for people to find their friends and meet up in real life. When it's enabled, Nearby Friends shows users a list of Facebook friends who have agreed to share their location. The app can also alert a user if a friend comes within range (such as ... (view more)

Wed
09
Oct
Dennis Faas's picture

GPS Watch Helps Parents Track Their Kids

An electronics firm has unveiled a wristwatch device that helps parents stay in touch with young children. It's aimed at people who think their kids are too young to have a smartphone. Filip Technologies says its watch, which is called the 'FiLip', ... is aimed at children aged 4 to 11. Although the FiLiP watch uses smartphone technology, it only performs a few functions and has just two buttons. (Source: myfilip.com ) Pressing one button will place a phone call. However, the child can only choose between one of up to five pre-programmed numbers. The phones using those numbers can also call or ... (view more)

Thu
28
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

GPS Phone Data Could Be Used to Track You: Report

A new study shows that it's possible to use mobile phone location data to find an individual. Researchers say that, in most cases, getting four confirmed locations for a person is enough to identify their handset. The study's findings appear in the ... latest edition of Scientific Reports. According to the researchers, most users understand and accept that mobile phone service providers track their locations. Customers are usually 'OK' with this because the data is kept confidential and only provided to law enforcement authorities after a warrant has been issued. (Source: nature.com ) Anonymous ... (view more)

Mon
17
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

US Gov't May Ban Smartphone Tracking Apps

A US Senate committee has approved the Location Privacy Protection Act. It's a bill that would ban the smartphone tools which allow people to track others without their knowledge. The act, introduced by Senator Al Franken, would force companies ... offering smartphone apps to get a phone user's permission before collecting or passing on data about their location. The new rules would also explicitly ban any application that tracked locations without the phone user's knowledge. (Source: govtrack.us ) According to Franken, such measures are necessary to prevent cases of people secretly installing a ... (view more)

Tue
03
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

TV, Cellphone, WiFi Provide Data For GPS Back-Up

British researchers are working on an alternative to Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation that will function when GPS fails. They say the GPS satellite system might not last forever, and could be damaged by a freak space incident or even a ... military conflict. The new system comes from BAE systems, a defense company in the United Kingdom. BAE has for some time been trying to find alternatives to GPS, which works by comparing a device's location to multiple satellites in space. Solar Flare Could Destroy GPS Satellites While GPS functions well for now, it is vulnerable to satellite ... (view more)

Tue
07
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Google, Yahoo Refine Geo-Results, Picture Search

The major players in the Internet search market continue to add new tweaks to their presentation: Google is putting more emphasis on local results, while Yahoo has launched a refined image search feature. Previously, Google would supply search ... results based on the location of the IP address. For example: searching for a "museum in Cameron, North Carolina," using a mobile phone would produce results towards the phone's current location. Local Links Without Log-in From now on, people searching from a computer will get their usual results, but for appropriate search terms they'll also ... (view more)

Thu
19
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

'Liquid Location', and 'WizMouse'

Liquid Location Liquid Location is a dynamic DNS service that focuses on simplicity in design, security and ease of updates. Unlike other services that require you to send your password across a network or use some clunky IP address to update ... software, Liquid Location automatically detects your connecting IP address remotely and doesn't use passwords for updates. http://liquidlocation.com WizMouse WizMouse is a mouse enhancement utility that makes your mouse wheel work on the window currently under the mouse pointer, instead of the currently focused window. This means you no longer have to ... (view more)

Fri
06
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

Global Watchdogs Attack Google's Latitude

Google recently released a location-aware mobile application (Google Latitude) allowing the friends and family of a mobile phone user to track their location at all times. Not only is the location of the mobile user featured, but the application can ... also be used to contact them via SMS, Google Talk or Gmail. Now, Privacy International, a non-profit, British-based organization acting as a watchdog for surveillance invasions by governments and corporations has publicly blasted the application, calling it an "unnecessary danger to the security and privacy of a user". (Source: computerworld.com ... (view more)

Mon
25
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Yahoo Knows Where You Are

Yahoo has launched new technology making it easier for users to get website information personalised to their current location. However, privacy advocates say the search engine's safeguards aren't enough to protect web surfers from misuse by ... third-party organisations. The new tool, FireEagle, is primarily designed for mobile devices such as handheld PCs and smart phones. The idea is that the system will be open so that any website you visit can use the information about your location without needing separate software or coding. A reported 50 or more sites have already begun using the scheme, ... (view more)

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - location