Re: Mobile Location Based Service user privacy (commercial issue)

Alex,

As Shahid mentioned, several cellular carriers are offering self/third party
locationing services. The guidelines by Japanese government requires the
service providers to:

(1) notify users of being tracked in real time
(2) give users means to stop being tracked at any time

Currently the location information is never directly transfered to ASPs in a
"stealth" mode.

And with current services, you can only specify who can get your location -
no restriction on time, areas, or anything. It may take signiccant time, a
day or two?, to make a change to the control list.

At least, in case of using self-positioning MT, e.g. PDAs with GPS, I prefer
to store control list/divulging policy in my MT, so that I can change it at
my will.

PS. I just returned from Singapore. I saw the "Starhub" airship in the air
and was wondering what it was. Now I figured it out :-)

Regards,

Kenji
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alex WANG JiaYi" <alexw@starhub.com.sg>
To: "'Shahid Shoaib'" <shahid@dcl.docomo-usa.com>;
<geopriv@mail.apps.ietf.org>
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 2:36 PM
Subject: Re: Mobile Location Based Service user privacy (commercial issue)

> Hi Shahid,
>
> This is to follow up our previous email discussion. First, thank you very
> much for the comments.
>
> Now I use a people finding application as an example to show that if the
> Mobile Network Operator wants to control the user privacy profile for
every
> application, it becomes quite complicated. This is always my concern. Do
you
> have any idea about the general practice of MNOs regarding this, now and
> perhaps in future UMTS?
>
> Following is my example of the People Tracking Application provided and
> operated by an ASP. By subscribing to this service, people can locate
others
> whom they have the authorization to locate.
> There are User A, B, C, D, etc. Each of them has a user profile in ASP
side.
>
>
> User Profile (People Tracking) in ASP:
> User A -- B, C can track me (User A), time, date, conditions etc.
> User B -- C, D can track me (User B), time, date, conditions etc.
> User C -- A, D can track me (User C), time, date, conditions etc.
> User D ....
> .....
>
> The user profile in ASP is required since ASP operates the Application and
> it wants to send request to Network Operator only if the location request
is
> valid and with authorization.
> Also, as you mentioned, the Network Operator will maintain the same
Profile
> at its own side. Also, it is the arrangement of UMTS.
>
> So, we have anothe user profile in Network Operator.
> User Profile (People Tracking) in Network Operator (it is the same one as
> User Profile in ASP)
> User A -- B, C can track me (User A), time, date, conditions etc.
> User B -- C, D can track me (User B), time, date, conditions etc.
> User C -- A, D can track me (User C), time, date, conditions etc.
> User D ....
> .....
>
> One question then arises. Where shall the user change his profile since
> there are two identical user profiles at different places, one in ASP and
> another in Network Operator? Anyway, a solution could be that once one
user
> profile has been changed, the other has to be informed and updated to make
> them match. Then we have another problem. The two user profiles have to
talk
> and interface to each other.
>
> Thus, for an ASP to develop a Location Based Service/Application, several
> interfaces have to be written.
>
> 1. The interface between Application and Mobile Terminal (through Mobile
> Network)
> It could be SMS, WAP (based on WML) in GSM.
> Or it could be i-mode compatible HTML in i-mode.
> Or HDML in CDMA network.
>
> 2. The interface between Application and Location Platform for them to
> request and get location feed of certain user.
>
> 3. The interface between User Profile in ASP and that in Network Operator
> for the user profile date to be imported and exported bwt ASP and Network
> Operator.
>
> So, from Mobile Network Operator's point of view, at least two interfaces
(2
> and 3) are to provided by Location Platform. Also, it will be easy for ASP
> to develop applications if the Location Platform can incorporate all the
> interfaces together.
>
> I guess that is what NTT DoCoMo's Location Based Service Platform is
doing.
>
> It seems that DLP (DoCoMo Location Platform) for PDC and mopera for PHS is
> the only box that 3rd party application/content provider has to deal with,
> which simpify the whole structure.
> So far, the NTT DoCoMo LBS seems to be content focused other than
> application (ASP) focused. That is user requst some information and the
> content provider will send the information upon request.
>
> Do you know if DLP or mopera has the full user profile for Location Based
> Service?
>
> Thank you for your discussion with me.
>
> Br,
> Alex
>
> Alex WANG Jiayi
> Mobile, StarHub Pte Ltd
> 51 Cuppage Road, # 07-00 StarHub Centre, Singapore 229469
> Tel: (+65) 825 5547
> Mobile: (+65) 9004 0768
> Email: alexw@starhub.com.sg
> http://www.starhub.com.sg
>
>
>
>
>
Received on Mon Jul 30 03:46:13 2001