New mobile phone service lets users 'sniff' out whereabouts of friends

[drummer]

A mobile phone service that sends users an electronic map of their friends' whereabouts is to be launched in the UK today.

The Social Network Integrated Friend Finder (Sniff) uses mobile phone signals to locate friends and family - to the nearest 100 yards - regardless of where they are in the UK.

The application will be accessible through the Facebook social networking website and across all the major mobile phone networks.

Useful Networks, the US company behind the technology, said the application would only be available to over-18s and those who gave their permission to be tracked.

Friends had control over who could find them and when, and could instantly switch between being 'visible' and 'invisible'.

Mobile customers will pay 50p for each 'sniff' and will receive the answer by text. It will be the first Facebook application to apply premium charges to customers' mobile bills.

The application is popular in Sweden, where more than 80,000 people are registered to use it.

'Sniffing' works through similar technology used by the police to track down suspects or missing children via their mobile phone.

The phone sends a signal to nearby base stations and software performs a calculation on the information from the base stations and converts it into a geographical location.

Brian Levin, chief executive of Useful Networks, said: 'People are spending increasing amounts of time managing and mapping their friendship groups online, so why not literally map them offline too.

'If you've ever found yourself stuck at home because your mates down the pub couldn't hear your calls above all the noise or missed out on an impromptu night out because you didn't realise that friends had been out and about near where you were, then sniff is for you.

'Sniff is for people to use within their close friendship circles. It's easy, fun and it works. And because you have absolute control over if, how and when your location information is shared, it is also very safe too.'

Mr Levin cautioned that sniffing should not be relied upon by parents to track their young children because the service would only place a location within a radius of several hundred metres.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/art...ts-friends.html

[rainfall]

Theres nowhere to hide..........There tracking us where ever we decide to go. There like our worst nightmare and our shadow.Couldn't they just leave us alone for a little while. Before you know it theres gonna be gps in our houses. Look johhnys in the loo and marys in the basement doing laundry. Its all insane and crazy really makes me mad all this spying and tracking us.

[yeti]

Quote:Mr Levin cautioned that sniffing should not be relied upon by parents to track their young children because the service would only place a location within a radius of several hundred metres.

... not to mention the fact that if the child finds out that their parents are tracking them, their trust of their parents will effectively be destroyed...

Try raising a kid who doesn't trust you. Not fun, unless you're a freaking fascist...

[mexika]

I dont think its for friends and parents - UK is leading front for spying on their citizens. Just big brother selling more brainwash to oversee the cattle. There needs to be another breed of new people, a counter to big brother, sophisticated enough to counter surveillance .

[Melchor]

Might as let your friends track you. Hell, the surveillance technology has been used for police state for a long time, might as well open it up to positive use as well. Better yet get a multiple phone plan and plant decoy phones places. Throw off the government and your girlfriend off your trail at the same time. :wink:

[Guest]

Girls with deranged jealous and spurned ex's better watch out!
There's enough loony murder-suiciding guys out there over some chick that aint worth it and this will make it worse.

[mexika]

hmmm, if you know the # of say, your employer or the CEO, you can see where exactly he might be...maybe with a secretary having a good time. For that case, anybody as long as you know their phone #, unless its lets you block the signal...