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Senator renews pledge to update digital-privacy law

WASHINGTON--Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee, said today he is optimistic that Congress would update a 1986 law, crafted in the pre-Internet era of telephone modems and the black-and-white Macintosh Plus, to protect the privacy of Americans who use the Internet and mobile phones.

The Vermont Democrat said that in his previous career as a prosecutor he had to obtain search warrants to search someone's house. "I question whether it should be that much different if I'm going to search all your files" in electronic form, he said in a keynote speech at … Read more

Geo-privacy bills aim to curb warrantless tracking

WASHINGTON--Police would no longer be able to conduct warrantless surveillance of Americans' whereabouts, according to legislation introduced today that would require search warrants to monitor the locations of cars or mobile devices.

Bills drafted by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) provides new legal protections for "geolocation information," meaning data that can locate a person through a wireless device or a GPS tracker placed on a vehicle. In March, CNET was the first to report on an earlier draft of the measure.

These rules "will foster the effective use of geolocation data while protecting … Read more

Exclusive: Google's Web mapping can track your phone

SAN FRANCISCO--If you have Wi-Fi turned on, the previous whereabouts of your computer or mobile device may be visible on the Web for anyone to see.

Google publishes the estimated location of millions of iPhones, laptops, and other devices with Wi-Fi connections, a practice that represents the latest twist in a series of revelations this year about wireless devices and privacy, CNET has learned.

Android phones with location services enabled regularly beam the unique hardware IDs of nearby Wi-Fi devices back to Google, a similar practice followed by Microsoft, Apple, and Skyhook Wireless as part of each company's effort … Read more

Adobe: Expect location-linked mobile apps

LONDON--In the future, somebody walking into a hotel room or a museum will get the opportunity to install an app for that location, Adobe Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch predicted.

The idea, which Lynch demonstrated at the Open Mobile Summit here to show just how feasible it is, stems from the ever-tighter links between the physical and virtual worlds we inhabit. And it shows that there's still plenty of room for mobile devices to become even more important in people's lives, as if there were any doubt.

"There's a strong future for us with this social- … Read more

Skyhook CEO undaunted by mobile giants

LONDON--Skyhook Wireless, whose technology uses Wi-Fi signals to pinpoint a mobile phone's location, is in something of a tight spot. On the one hand, it's embroiled in a major lawsuit against Google, and on the other, Apple stopped using its services beginning with the iPhone 4.

In other words, the two biggest rising powers in the mobile market are not exactly on the Boston company's side. So perhaps it's a bit surprising that Chief Executive Ted Morgan is as optimistic as he is.

The way Morgan sees it, though, there's plenty of room for … Read more

Find lost dogs with Garmin GTU 10 plus Tracker app

Garmin's GTU 10 is a great tool for finding lost things, provided that you had the foresight to GPS tag them in the first place.

Simply attach the unit to your outdoor pet, your backpack, or your child at the park. Using Garmin's Web app or the Garmin Tracker app for Android or iPhone, set virtual geofences to receive notifications when, for example, your pet leaves the yard. Then simply fire up the Garmin Tracker app again to locate the GTU 10 on a map. Tap "navigate" and the app will even guide you straight to … Read more

How to take control of your Foursquare account privacy

As location-based services (LBS) become more and more popular, the debate surrounding privacy grows as well. One popular LBS service, Foursquare, is growing in popularity by the day.

Through this guide we plan to show you how to customize the privacy settings of your Foursquare account; allowing you to reveal or limit as much personal information as you would like. … Read more

This Day in Tech: Twitter acquires TweetDeck, Google to offer mobile payments?

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Wednesday, May 25.

Twitter acquires popular client TweetDeck Twitter says it will use the desktop service to help commercial users track conversations across the social network, in a deal reportedly valued at about $40 million. More

Piper Jaffray: Now's a good time to own Apple stock A new analyst report says that despite Apple's "lagged" stock gains this year, now is a good time to pick up shares based on the company's estimated growth over … Read more

Most people OK buying goods via mobile devices

A significant number of people are comfortable shopping and paying for items through their mobile devices, according to a new report from mobile media firm JiWire.

JiWire's latest Mobile Audience Insights Report (PDF) found that 79 percent of 5,000 people surveyed are OK paying online via their cell phones or tablets.

Though most of those polled are still making relatively small purchases (less than $100), 50 percent said they're comfortable spending more than $100 using a cell phone, while almost 20 percent said they're OK buying things worth more than $500.

Beyond paying for items, more consumers are also researching products via their mobile devices. JiWire found that 71 percent of those polled had researched future purchases on their phone or tablet before buying the item. Among those, 31 percent later bought the item in a store, 40 percent bought it online through a PC, and 20 percent bought it directly from their mobile device.… Read more

How to set up Google Latitude on Android

Google Latitude (used with Google Maps) offers another way to keep in touch with friends and family. By sharing locations people can see when it would be easy to grab a quick cup of a coffee together, or when there just isn't time to meet up. Follow these steps to learn how to activate and set up Google Latitude according to your preferences.

1. Open the Google Maps app on your phone or tablet.

2. Press the Menu button and select Join Latitude. If this option doesn't appear, choose More, and then Labs. You will find the Latitude … Read more