Earlier this week Google launched an update for their Maps Mobile cellphone software which uses cell tower triangulation to estimate your position; called Assisted-GPS (or “My Location” in Google-speak), the potential privacy concerns came under the microscope of NYT journalist Saul Hansell.  One of Google’s PR team, Barry Schnitt, took issue with Hansell’s description of the software as “secretly” collecting the GPS data from compatible handsets to augment the service’s accuracy, pointing - as we did - to the Privacy Policy.

However, an argument regarding both this current version and previous releases of the software has developed in the comments section, with users of earlier Mobile Maps versions taking issue with the absence of GPS-related disclaimers.  User Emily has photo-documented her Nokia N95 running the 1.70.2 software (i.e. the previous release) downloaded in November this year, with no mention of GPS data recording:

“So one may find it unethical from Google to collect that information from collecting the users’ GPS data without letting them know about it (and without letting them turn off this feature). But I find it rather stunning that Google’s spokesperson would go out of his way to send a correction saying that what they were doing was “legal” and that it was clearly mentioned in the Privacy policy even though it was not”Emily, NYT commenter

So far the consequences are unclear; Schnitt is yet to respond to Emily’s photographs.  At this point, we can only reiterate the same advice we gave earlier this week: given the likelihood that Maps for Mobile will feature in any production Android handset, though, users may need to closely examine the privacy policies and terms & conditions before assuming that their cellphone isn’t reporting their current position.

[Thanks Dave for the tip]