acm-header
Sign In

Communications of the ACM

ACM TechNews

New App 'hides' ­ser Location From Third Parties


View as: Print Mobile App Share:
A smartphone users checks an online map.

A new app prevents third parties from determining one's location based on the information he or she searches for online.

Credit: techradar.india

Researchers from Binghamton University, the University of Nevada, Reno, and the University of Florida have developed an app that blocks third parties from identifying an individual's location based on what they search for online.

The research received a Best Paper Award at the recent IEEE GLOBECOM Conference Symposium on Communication & Information System Security.

"The trend of people using searches and social networks on smartphones which aren't well-protected is going up," says Binghamton professor Linke Guo. "Sometimes people share too much information."

Guo says the new app provides a way to help provide some security. Smartphones send massive amounts of data to servers in the background of local searches, global-positioning system directions, and check-ins. The researchers say if their app is developed further, it could help hide that information.

"When we release personal information to the Internet, it is out of our control, and can be easily searched and used for malicious purposes," Guo says. "We are trying to provide a more efficient and feasible solution to make sure that kind of information is secure."

From Binghamton University
View Full Article

 

Abstracts Copyright © 2016 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA


 

No entries found

Sign In for Full Access
» Forgot Password? » Create an ACM Web Account