RE: Intended usage notification

This is not intended to be binding, so liars will be free to do that.  

This establishes a common expectation from users.  If offers a standard way to get a message about why the notification exists in front of a user.  Otherwise, we have the case where users learn to click through with no consideration for their privacy - the warning is effectively made irrelevant.

--Martin

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Greg Bolsinga [mailto:bolsinga@apple.com]
> Sent: Thursday, 26 March 2009 1:53 PM
> To: Doug Turner
> Cc: Thomson, Martin; public-geolocation@w3.org
> Subject: Re: Intended usage notification
> 
> Doug++
> 
> On Mar 26, 2009, at 1:47 PM, Doug Turner wrote:
> 
> >
> > Hi Martin,
> >
> > Bad sites will lie, a few will probably do the "right" thing, and
> > everyone else will just be confused.  Can't sites just use existing
> > APIs to keep the user informed of what they are trying to do?
> >
> > Doug
> >
> > On Mar 26, 2009, at 1:39 PM, Thomson, Martin wrote:
> >
> >> I'd like to suggest a change that would require specification.  It
> >> just occurred to me that the notification mechanism is lacking.
> >>
> >> Currently, when a site (or page) acquires location information, the
> >> typical user interface explains that the site wants location and
> >> offers the user an option: yes/no.  This notification does not
> >> provide sufficient additional information for the user to make an
> >> informed decision.
> >>
> >> I have no concrete suggestion, so consider this as requirements
> >> input.  Maybe this can be entered as an issue.
> >>
> >> When asked, the user needs to rely on information from the site to
> >> make this decision, information that might only be available from a
> >> linked privacy policy, or from the context of the page, or
> >> something else.
> >>
> >> If the site were able to provide a small snippet of information
> >> that could be provided by the browser alongside its prompt:
> >>
> >> The site http://example.com/ wants to use this information for the
> >> following purpose:
> >>  "We need your location so that we can find services near you."
> >> or    "Your wife thinks that you are cheating her, we're tracking
> >> you at her request."
> >> or    "We are tracking your whereabouts because we think you are a
> >> drug dealer."
> >> Allow this request: [ yes ] [ no ].  [x] Remember this choice.
> >>
> >> Maybe this could also allow a link to the site privacy policy as it
> >> applies to location.
> >>
> >> A second notification would be required if the description of the
> >> usage changes at all.  This would allow sites to partition their
> >> usage and would allow UAs to restrict usage to those that are
> >> important to it.
> >>
> >> In anticipation of the expected response to this - I don't expect
> >> that multiple notifications will be common - such a thing would
> >> badly damage user experience.
> >>
> >> Such a thing would be quite useful to establish user expectations.
> >> This could help with the privacy story.
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >> Martin
> >>
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> >> [mf2]
> >
> >
> 

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Received on Thursday, 26 March 2009 21:01:35 UTC