Stories with Tag geolocation

• OpenStreetMap Calendar

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  Posted: 2025-02-09 19:32:57

  Verbose tl;dr

  OSMCal is a comprehensive, crowdsourced calendar of OpenStreetMap-related events worldwide. It aggregates conferences, workshops, mapathons, social gatherings, and other activities relevant to the OSM community, allowing users to browse events by location, date, and keywords. The calendar aims to facilitate connection and collaboration within the OSM ecosystem by providing a central resource for discovering and promoting these events. Users can submit their own events for inclusion, ensuring the calendar stays up-to-date and reflects the vibrant activity of the OpenStreetMap community.

  The OpenStreetMap Calendar, hosted at osmcal.org, serves as a centralized, publicly accessible platform for discovering and promoting events related to the OpenStreetMap (OSM) project. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of gatherings, workshops, conferences, mapathons, and other activities relevant to the OSM community worldwide. The calendar facilitates connection and collaboration within the OSM ecosystem by enabling users to easily find events happening near them or online. Furthermore, it helps individuals and organizations spread awareness of their OSM-related initiatives by providing a simple and effective method for event announcement and promotion.

  The website features a clean, user-friendly interface that displays events in a variety of formats, including a list view, a monthly calendar view, and a geographical map view. This allows users to browse events based on their preferred method of navigation and quickly identify relevant events based on location, date, or topic. Event details typically include information such as the event name, date, time, location (physical or virtual), a brief description, and links to external websites or registration pages for further information.

  Organizers can add their events to the OSM Calendar through a submission process. This process likely involves providing the necessary details about the event, ensuring accuracy and completeness of the information. The centralized nature of the calendar allows for better coordination and avoids duplication of effort in promoting OSM events, contributing to a more informed and connected OSM community. The calendar likely uses established data standards and formats for interoperability with other mapping and calendar applications. This may include support for iCalendar subscriptions, allowing users to integrate the OSM Calendar with their personal calendaring tools.

  • OpenStreetMap
  • OSM
  • calendar
  • Events
  • geolocation
  • Mapping
  • Open Source
  • Community
  • Conference
  • Workshop
  • Meetup
  • Hackathon
  • GIS

  Summary of Comments ( 2 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42993044

  Verbose tl;dr

  Hacker News users discussed the usefulness of the OpenStreetMap Calendar (OSMCal) for discovering local mapping events. Several commenters expressed appreciation for the resource, finding it valuable for connecting with the OSM community and learning about contributing. Some highlighted the importance of in-person events for fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing within the OSM ecosystem. Others wished for improved filtering or search capabilities to refine event discovery, particularly by region or specific interests. The calendar's role in promoting OSM and coordinating community efforts was generally seen as positive. A few users also mentioned alternative or supplementary resources, such as weeklyOSM and the OSM forum, for staying informed about OpenStreetMap activities.

  The Hacker News post titled "OpenStreetMap Calendar" (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42993044) has a modest number of comments, generating a brief discussion around the linked OpenStreetMap Calendar website. While not a highly active thread, several commenters express their appreciation for the resource.

  One commenter highlights the value of the calendar for discovering local OpenStreetMap events, mentioning they hadn't been aware of such gatherings in their area. This points to the calendar's success in surfacing relevant information that might otherwise be difficult to find.

  Another commenter focuses on the technical aspect, inquiring about the backend implementation of the calendar. They specifically ask if the calendar utilizes the Indico platform, showcasing a curiosity about the underlying technology driving the project. This technical query isn't answered within the visible comments.

  A further comment expresses a desire for an iCalendar subscription feed for the displayed events. This suggests a practical need for integrating the OpenStreetMap Calendar data with personal scheduling tools, highlighting a potential area for improvement or expansion of the calendar's functionality. This commenter also notes the absence of an "export to iCal" option, which reinforces their point about the desired integration.

  Finally, one commenter draws attention to a separate project, "OSMCha", and suggests it could be a valuable addition to the calendar. This implies that the commenter sees synergy between the two tools and believes including OSMCha-related events would enrich the calendar's offerings for the OpenStreetMap community. This suggestion also implicitly compliments the usefulness of the OpenStreetMap Calendar by proposing further additions.

  While the discussion is not extensive, the comments present demonstrate a positive reception of the OpenStreetMap Calendar, highlighting its utility in discovering local events and expressing desires for enhanced functionality like iCalendar integration and the inclusion of related projects. The comments also briefly touch upon the technical implementation, illustrating a curiosity about the platform powering the calendar.

• Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

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  Posted: 2025-02-02 17:07:31

  Verbose tl;dr

  Tim investigated the precision of location data used for targeted advertising by requesting his own data from ad networks. He found that location information shared with these networks, often through apps on his phone, was remarkably precise, pinpointing his location to within a few meters. He successfully identified his own apartment and even specific rooms within it based on the location polygons provided by the ad networks. This highlighted the potential privacy implications of sharing location data with apps, demonstrating how easily and accurately individuals can be tracked even without explicit consent for precise location sharing. The experiment revealed a lack of transparency and control over how this granular location data is collected, used, and shared by advertising ecosystems.

  In a detailed blog post titled "Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads," author Tim Schneeberger meticulously documents his personal investigation into the precision and potential invasiveness of location tracking within mobile advertising networks. He begins by establishing the premise that while most users are vaguely aware of being tracked for advertising purposes, the granular accuracy of this tracking often remains unappreciated. He then embarks on a self-experiment designed to illuminate the extent of this tracking by deliberately attempting to identify himself within the anonymized location data streams used by advertisers.

  Schneeberger outlines his methodology, beginning with the selection of a highly specific and uncommon location: a secluded cabin nestled in the Swiss Alps, accessible only by a private road. He hypothesizes that the uniqueness of this location, coupled with the temporal element of his presence there, would make it identifiable within the aggregated location data available to ad networks. He then utilizes a custom-built Android application programmed to intercept and analyze bid requests – the process by which advertising networks auction off ad space within apps based on user demographics and location.

  Over several days, Schneeberger meticulously records the bid requests generated by his device while at the cabin. He analyzes the geographic coordinates included in these requests, noting the remarkable precision with which his location is pinpointed, often within a few meters. He also observes fluctuations in the density of bid requests, speculating on potential correlations with his movements and activities within the cabin's vicinity.

  The author then proceeds to demonstrate how this precise location data could be used to identify an individual. He posits that by cross-referencing the anonymized location data with publicly available information like property records or social media posts that might mention a stay at a remote cabin, it becomes increasingly feasible to de-anonymize the data and identify the individual associated with those coordinates. This, he argues, highlights a significant privacy concern, as even seemingly anonymized location data can be exploited to reveal sensitive information about an individual's whereabouts and activities.

  Furthermore, Schneeberger explores the mechanics of location tracking within mobile apps, explaining how GPS coordinates, Wi-Fi network information, and cellular tower triangulation are utilized to determine a user's location. He also delves into the role of advertising identifiers, unique codes assigned to each device, which allow advertisers to track user behavior across different apps and websites. He emphasizes how this combination of precise location data and persistent identifiers creates a comprehensive profile of an individual's movements and preferences.

  The blog post concludes with a discussion of the potential implications of this granular location tracking, highlighting the risks associated with data breaches, government surveillance, and the potential for discriminatory targeting. Schneeberger underscores the importance of greater transparency and user control over the collection and use of location data, advocating for stronger privacy regulations and increased awareness among mobile device users about the extent to which their movements are being monitored.

  • location tracking
  • privacy
  • mobile advertising
  • in-app advertising
  • ad tech
  • Data Privacy
  • geolocation
  • Mobile Apps
  • user tracking
  • digital privacy
  • surveillance
  • personal data
  • Data Collection
  • advertising networks
  • online tracking

  Summary of Comments ( 146 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42909921

  Verbose tl;dr

  HN commenters generally agreed with the article's premise that location tracking through in-app advertising is pervasive and concerning. Some highlighted the irony of privacy policies that claim not to share precise location while effectively doing so through ad requests containing latitude/longitude. Several discussed technical details, including the surprising precision achievable even without GPS and the potential misuse of background location data. Others pointed to the broader ecosystem issue, emphasizing the difficulty in assigning blame to any single actor and the collective responsibility of ad networks, app developers, and device manufacturers. A few commenters suggested potential mitigations like VPNs or disabling location services entirely, while others expressed resignation to the current state of surveillance. The effectiveness of "Limit Ad Tracking" settings was also questioned.

  The Hacker News post "Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads" generated a moderate amount of discussion with several insightful comments. Many commenters affirmed the author's findings, sharing their own experiences and concerns with the pervasive nature of location tracking in mobile advertising.

  A recurring theme is the acknowledgment that this kind of precise targeting isn't news to those working in the ad tech industry or those technically savvy, but the article serves as a good illustration of the mechanics for a wider audience. Several users pointed out that while the author focuses on the "creepiness" factor, the real issue is the potential for abuse and the lack of meaningful control users have over their data. One commenter highlights this by suggesting that the ability to precisely target individuals opens doors for malicious actors to deliver personalized scams or disinformation campaigns.

  Some comments delve into the technical details, explaining how techniques like bidstream data, precise location coordinates, and device fingerprinting enable this level of tracking. They discuss the role of data brokers and the complex ecosystem that facilitates the buying and selling of user data. One commenter, seemingly familiar with the ad tech industry, explains how these practices are often obscured by complex and opaque terminology, making it difficult for average users to understand the extent of data collection.

  Another line of discussion focuses on the limitations of current privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA. Commenters argue that these regulations, while well-intentioned, are insufficient to address the core issue of pervasive tracking. They point out the loopholes and workarounds employed by ad tech companies, including obtaining "consent" through confusing and misleading prompts.

  Some users propose potential solutions, ranging from stricter regulations and enforcement to the adoption of privacy-focused technologies. One commenter suggests using a VPN or disabling location services, though acknowledges that these are imperfect solutions and can negatively impact the functionality of certain apps. Another commenter promotes the use of open-source operating systems and ad blockers as more robust methods to mitigate tracking.

  Finally, a few comments express a sense of resignation, accepting this level of tracking as the inevitable price of "free" apps and services. However, even within this sentiment, there's an undercurrent of unease about the long-term implications of such pervasive surveillance.