My Location now with Wi-Fi

[wanghx]

我今天试验 windows mobile PDA 上的 google maps。不开 GPS 的时候，我的 PDA 也没有 GSM 手机功能，google maps 通过 wifi 信号的定位信息[5]，就已经非常精确的定位了我当前的位置，准确度提示在方圆 100m 之内。令我非常惊讶！

我好奇用 google search 查询了一些 IP address location 的定位服务，他们的数据库看起来都是基于 whois 注册信息，可以定位到 ISP 公司所在的地理经纬度，但是都没有 google maps 提供定位的那么精确。我一开始以为它用的是内部的数据库，是否从 ISP 公司购买的 IP 地址动态分配地理数据。后来查阅到 google maps 是通过 PDA 所接收到的周边 wifi 信号站点信息进行定位，真是非常聪明的办法！在城市中，wifi 站点越来越密集，只要其中有一个站点的 IP 地址和地理信息的对应关系是确认的，那么周边的 wifi 访问者的地理位置也就可以确定，而进一步，根据这一临近关系顺藤摸瓜，就可以实现大面积的网络用户精确定位，不但包括 wifi 用户，而且带 GPS 功能的移动终端，固定终端用户，作为可以确认 IP 地址和地理位置对应关系的同子网终端，所提供的信息反过来也可以给 wifi 用户定位。比如，只要我所在的街区，有一个用户有一次打开 PDA 的 GPS 模块的同时，又访问 google maps，那么，它所提供的精确定位信息，就可以被 google maps 用于对周边 wifi 和同一 IP 子网段的用户进行精确定位！真是太厉害了！

google maps 可以利用 GSM 网络基站定位[4]，wifi 信号定位，GPS 信号定位三重定位。非常厉害。
由此也感到 google 的可怕之处。它的服务器上所掌握的你的隐私信息，不但是历史存档 (gmail 以前鼓励用户从来不删除邮件)，对话存档，而且还有时刻定位，只要你一访问 google 的网页，或者遍布整个 Internet 无处不有的 google adsense 广告，你就可以被精确定位到 100m 之内，尤其在用 mobile phone 上网，或者城区 wifi 站点多的地方，定位更加精确！一旦 google 失误泄密，间谍渗透，或者公司作恶，后果不堪设想。看到 NYT 这篇报道[3]的设想，不禁令人毛骨悚然:


Clip Source: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/10/10/opinion/1010opart.html

即使 google 不作恶，他所提供的便利也已经开始被恶意利用，比如这个欺诈攻击技术，已经可以利用被攻击者的地理位置[2]。

调用这个 ClientLocation API [1]可以得到访问者 IP 所在的“粗略”地理位置经纬度坐标。这可能基于 whois 注册信息，但是 google 本身根据这个 IP 地址用户访问记录，能知道的定位信息更为精确！

不过，google 所能搜集的信息，没有政府部门多。政府监视所有的移动通信信息，专门在移动局设有特务监听过滤信息，随时可以严密监视任何一台手机的通信和行踪。移动通信 手机的大规模普及，意味着政府可以对每个公民的活动范围，日常行程也空前地了如指掌。当然你可以在某些时候关掉手机，不过历史记录依然可以提供相当多的跟 踪信息。

1. google.loader.ClientLocation http://code.google.com/apis/ajax/documentation/
2. Phishing attack use Google Maps, IP addresses to obtain victim location
   Frank Washkuch Jr. February 21, 2007; http://www.scmagazineus.com/Phishing-attack-use-Google-Maps-IP-addresses-to-obtain-victim-location/article/34647/
3. How the mighty Google shall look in 2084 http://www.infopirate.org/how-the-mighty-google-shall-look-in-2084
4. Google Knows Where You Are Too; Launches “My Location” for Mobile; http://mashable.com/2007/11/28/google-mobile-my-location/
   November 28th, 2007 | by Adam Ostrow
5. My Location now with Wi-Fi
   Tuesday, October 21, 2008 10:54 AM http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-location-now-with-wi-fi.html
   

One of our goals here on the location team is to keep shrinking that magical blue circle that shows you where you are. In fact, just a few weeks ago, we released new optimizations for My Location that helped us calculate location even more accurately.

Today, we're taking another step toward that goal, with the release of My Location with Wi-Fi, which will provide even greater accuracy when you use a device with Wi-Fi. The premise is similar to what we do with cell tower information: information transmitted by nearby Wi-Fi access points is used to pinpoint your location. Since the range of a Wi-Fi access point is smaller than that of a cell phone tower, this often results in a much more accurate position.

Wi-Fi-based location is available in many major cities around the world, but coverage and accuracy will vary. We expect it to improve over time as more people use it.

So how can you start enjoying this Wi-Fi goodness? If you have a Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerry, please download the latest version of Google Maps for mobile. Maps for other mobile platforms, including Android, will get Wi-Fi location soon.

Wi-Fi-based location is also now available through the Gears Geolocation API, bringing more-accurate location information to the browser on your phone or laptop, including Search with My Location.

Enjoy the smaller circles!

Posted by Adel Youssef and Arunesh Mishra, Software Engineers, Google mobile team
Permalink | Links to this post | 

Labels: google gears for mobile, google maps for mobile, my location

13 comments:

Zach said...

    Still doesn't work without a data plan and wifi only :(
    October 21, 2008 5:40 PM
JerryD said...

    OK, I tried both links to download the "latest" version, and both were version 3.1 which I had over a month ago:
    http://blackberryforums.pinstack.com/blogs/jdellasala/825-google_maps_updated_v2_3_1_amazing_new_features.html

    Have these features been available all along, or is it only available for a BlackBerry with WiFi (I have an 8800 - no WiFi)?
    October 22, 2008 3:28 AM
andrew said...

    Where's the update?
    October 22, 2008 2:35 PM
David said...

    google.com/gmm on my BB 8820 just gives v2.3.1, which I already have.
    October 22, 2008 2:58 PM
Dave said...

    I have a BB 8320, have version 2.2.3 installed, went to update google maps, and it said d/l version 2.2.1 I don't understand, I have a newer version than whats out there. Well anyway. WIFI still don't work.
    October 22, 2008 4:18 PM
Fabio said...

    As a Symbian user, I can't but wait for a new release. We're still stuck with no Streetview, no walking directions, no comments on shop and now, no wifi localization...

    As I said, I can't but wait ;)
    October 23, 2008 1:09 AM
EddY2K said...

    This does work with the 2.3.1 version with a wifi enabled BlackBerry (8320 for me). Funny thing is, at work it does not center around the router, it centers it self on the access node across the highway. It does not yet work with my old Linksys router.
    October 24, 2008 7:06 AM
EddY2K said...

    follow up to my last post... I think what GMM is doing is looking at the IP address of the internet connection to the router. that is how they know where it is, since ip addresses are traceable. home routers have there own ip addresses which are generic, and not traceable. which, i think, is why this is not working for a lot of people, your real ip address (the one from your provider) is hidden from the phone by either the home router or the providers (in a lot of areas the router to the house is using 192.168 addressing, which is generic, which is not tracable). think i rambled a bit, if so sorry, first time poster.
    October 24, 2008 7:14 AM
Craig said...

    GMM is looking at the IP address of the router. This can be maddening.

    I moved recently and now, every time I try to search (ipod touch) for something nearby, it shows my location as my old address.

    I moved a mile and a half down from my old address. I know that may not sound like a problem, but neither does having water drip slowly on your forehead -- until it happens a hundred times!
    October 27, 2008 8:22 AM
ixtab said...

    Craig/others? was someone able to figure out how to make Google Maps (or its source) to "forget" an old wireless access point?
    A year ago I lived in NYC, and now that I am in NJ, a year later, whenever I am connected with my Blackberry to my NJ home wireless router then Google Maps shows me as located on the upper east side in NYC (old address)...
    I'm sure that my wireless router is using a new (NJ - Cablevision) IP address, so how does Google Maps identify it? is it by SSID? how can that be for non unique SSIDs (like Default/Linksys/etc.)?

    Any ideas?

    Thanks.
    November 7, 2008 4:44 AM
Jocko81 said...

    Are we ever going to post (http) the "My Location" data to a 3rd party site or my google page or etc, etc. It would be pretty cool if I could share my realtime location (via maps.google.com) with family and friends (obviously with my permission :.)
    November 8, 2008 11:27 PM
Hetal said...

    I tried v2.3.2 with wifi on Pearl 8120 but does not connect... Opera Mini works just fine but Google Maps doesn't... Any solutions?
    November 20, 2008 12:50 PM
111 said...
    This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
    February 28, 2009 3:34 AM