Whereis Everyone tracks kids, cheating partners

An example of the tracking on Whereis maps

There may be something romantic about the notion of getting lost, but the uptake of location-based services suggests we are a society intent on knowing where we are. Telstra's betting we want to know where everyone else is too.

In a move that echoes an Orwellian future, Telstra has launched Whereis Everyone for Next G mobile customers. The basic concept is that mobile handsets are tracked using mobile tower triangulation and the report is sent to an associated mobile or email address at pre-determined intervals. The current location of a collection of users can be tracked on Whereis Maps.

Telstra envisage this service being useful beyond tracking family and friends, suggesting it can double as a location service for lost or stolen handsets.

Obviously the concept of personal tracking raises numerous security related questions. Telstra seem aware of these concerns, noting on its site that users can make themselves "invisible" to tracking from all other users, or can block tracking from selected users. Potential stalkers are also kept on a short leash, as per Telstra's FAQ;

Will the other person know when I am attempting to locate them?
Generally no. The only exception to this is in the extreme case where you perform an abnormally large number of Location Searches on one person, or configure an abnormally large number of Location Alerts on one person, Telstra reserves the right to inform this other person. Telstra will inform you via email, SMS and/or mail if it does this.

The service is free to sign-up with each look-up costing 50 cents, or AU$2.95 buys you unlimited access to the service.