Google's "New" Product

Hello monkeys,

Just read a really interesting article about a Google product that's pretty similar to Apple's Find my Friends.

Google unveiled a new set of features for its popular Maps app that lets users share their locations with friends and contacts in real time. Thanks to this update, Google Maps users will now be able to quickly let friends know if they're running late to a meeting or stuck in traffic.

Interesting to see what this technology can do in the future. In addition, it's funny how Google actually introduced this app prematurely, back in 2009, pre-smartphone era. Simply a classic case of the wrong product for the wrong time. I believe that this technology is way more useful now than back in the past.

At the time Latitude was launched, the app drew widespread privacy concerns. Privacy International, a European watchdog group, published a report highlighting the risk that users might not be aware Latitude was enabled and could thus track their whereabouts. A Google spokeswoman told Computerworld at the time that the company took user feedback about privacy seriously and was adding notifications to alert users when Latitude was turned on.

Eight years later, the privacy concerns are still there, but it's no longer a concern for consumers in this era of information.

Most of the coverage has focused on the benefits of sharing locations — for example, allowing parents to keep track of their smartphone-toting children — not fear-mongering about how it could go wrong.

The Google Maps location-sharing comeback is a good reminder of how quickly technology moves and how fluid our seemingly deeply rooted societal norms might be.

More importantly, it's a good time to reflect and take stock of what we give up (and what we gain) every time we embrace the latest life-changing tech toys and services.

Thoughts?