LBS are rapidly expanding in both number and variety. They offer a wide range of services: navigation tools to help
you reach your destination (e.g., MapQuest); local search to help you find nearby businesses or events (e.g., Yelp);
friend finders and social networking (e.g., Loopt and Google Buzz); applications that allow you to check in at certain
locations (e.g., foursquare); and applications that can link your location to other activities (e.g., Twitter and Facebook).
Many users currently access LBS through mobile phones, but location-aware devices such as laptop and desktop
computers, iPads, and in-car navigation and assistance systems can also be used to access many of these services.
LBS offer tailored services that respond as you move from one place to another. But by using LBS, consumers may
unknowingly allow companies to compile detailed problems of their lives: the places they visit, the events they attend,
the people they meet, and more. And if LBS assemble these consumer problems, other parties especially the
government may be eager to access this sensitive personal information. Americans should not be forced to choose
between using new technology and keeping control of the private details of their lives. Instead, they have the right to
expect that new technologies will improve their lives without invading their privacy.