On May 13, Google unveiled "news near you", a content-filter for Google news that uses GPS location data to tailor search results on your phone. While location based search has been available since 2008, this marks the first time location has been auto-detected and then used to filter search.

Upon the first visit to news.google.com, Android users will be prompted to opt-in or decline to location sharing. If you opt-in, a new section, "news near you" will be displayed on the Google News homepage, with results matched to your current location.


This is no doubt going to give privacy watchdogs more to howl about, but it's hard to imagine how Google would use your location data in a way you wouldn't like.

[via Google]

Quite impressive! Good work Google, again! I'm just concerned with the location-sharing bit. I hardly use the Check-in feature in mobile Facebook. Now, would I be using this application?? Well, see.

I guess this is the beauty of having one single company have so many different products and services - in this case, using their OS will get us an extra feature on their website earlier than others
I worry about location sharing, but then again, what could Google do with it? Know where I've been? So what, I'm not a secret agent or anything similar, so knowing where I've been won't be of much use to them.