Firefox users gain location tool

[Seb7]

[news.bbc.co.uk ]

Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox browser, has released technology that helps websites detect the physical location of computers.

Users will have control over how much location information they give

It seems the user basically authorises the browser Javascript to have access to your current location.

navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(function(pos) {
alert( pos.latitude + ", " + pos.longitude );
})

[edited by: Seb7 at 8:10 pm (utc) on Oct. 8, 2008]

[Leosghost]

Also related mention here [webmasterworld.com]

[incrediBILL]

Why don't they just put a LoJack in our NIC and get it over with.

[tonynoriega]

uhhh can you say 1984 Big Brother....

it can also tell what blood type you are and whether or not you brushed your teeth...

[tangor]

If we can "Just Say No" that might not be a bad thing... then again, we have to say "No" and get that logged somewhere...

Dang it, the cat ran off with my tin foil hat! Have to make another one. :)

On a more serious side I wonder how beneficial a browser might become if the user can specify "show me only this geo location" And, follow up, if users will actually buy into that?

Sorry, I don't read much beyond English and Spanish and a smattering of German. Oriential sites are of exceedingly rare benefit to me.

However, reading more into the report it does appear that TRACKING is the key feature and opting out is the requirement as opposed to "hide me unless I WANT geo location applied".

Meanwhile, I'm going to load "Day the Earth Stood Still" and listen, yet again to the instructions given to the monster robot...

[Rosalind]

The default should be "tell them nothing". And if it is, and you have to specifically allow this each time, how is it better than simply entering your location on a web form as and when it's needed? Which is rarely, for most people.

[piatkow]

Its so we can have "Local Sites for Local People"

I can't really see much value in it. I will want to find a restaurant or hotel before I travel, not wander around the streets with my laptop open.

[kapow]

One way or another 'user location' will be a factor of the future internet. This or that concept might fail or might not be popular, but resistance is futile (hmm, where did I hear that catch phrase?).

[tedster]

I can't really see much value in it. I will want to find a restaurant or hotel before I travel, not wander around the streets with my laptop open.

Remember that more and more people are able to browse the web through smartphones and the like. This technology will find its way into MobileFirefox, I'm sure.

[GrendelKhan TSU]

ugh I hate geolocation with a passion.