4 ms·

> Even when it is visible, it is "fuzzed," so that the location anyone (other than you) can see, is a random one, within a 10Km square. I hope the implementati

by gpm 4y ago

> Even when it is visible, it is "fuzzed," so that the location anyone (other than you) can see, is a random one, within a 10Km square. I hope the implementation of this isn't that I can start sampling your location repeatedly and average them out to find out where you live?

ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
Oh, sure, but it would take a while. The system is not Fort Knox. If someone wants to find one of the members that badly, then there are actually easier ways, outside of the system. If we decide that it is a concern, I already know how I'd deal with it. I would add a "governor," to slow the process down. Depending on how the location is updated, that could be enough to render it worthless. People can't even see the "fuzzed" locations, unless they are registered members of the community. The locator would have to go through a registered account, and those don't come too easily. However, if someone is that concerned, they would either hide their location entirely, or not join the community. The app is all about people finding each other.
- eat_veggies 4y ago
  The standard solution for dating apps is to snap the location to the nearest x kilometer grid point, so that you are losing information rather than simply adding noise https://robertheaton.com/2018/07/09/how-tinder-keeps-your-location-a-bit-private/ https://robertheaton.com/2018/07/09/how-tinder-keeps-your-lo...
  - ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
    Thanks for that! Reading it, I'm not so sure it's "standard," as it seems Tinder-specific, but they have done their homework. I'll have to see what I can do to incorporate something like that.
    - ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
      Just an update: I did a 1Km "snap" to the original location (I basically apply a weighted round to the initial ll), and apply the "fuzz" over that. I'm sure a dedicated geek could still figure out how to hack it, but our target demographic, despite clamoring for privacy, tends to do Facebook "checkins" all the time.

by gpm 4y ago

ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago

Oh, sure, but it would take a while. The system is not Fort Knox. If someone wants to find one of the members that badly, then there are actually easier ways, outside of the system. If we decide that it is a concern, I already know how I'd deal with it. I would add a "governor," to slow the process down. Depending on how the location is updated, that could be enough to render it worthless. People can't even see the "fuzzed" locations, unless they are registered members of the community. The locator would have to go through a registered account, and those don't come too easily. However, if someone is that concerned, they would either hide their location entirely, or not join the community. The app is all about people finding each other.

eat_veggies 4y ago
The standard solution for dating apps is to snap the location to the nearest x kilometer grid point, so that you are losing information rather than simply adding noise https://robertheaton.com/2018/07/09/how-tinder-keeps-your-location-a-bit-private/ https://robertheaton.com/2018/07/09/how-tinder-keeps-your-lo...
- ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
  Thanks for that! Reading it, I'm not so sure it's "standard," as it seems Tinder-specific, but they have done their homework. I'll have to see what I can do to incorporate something like that.
  - ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
    Just an update: I did a 1Km "snap" to the original location (I basically apply a weighted round to the initial ll), and apply the "fuzz" over that. I'm sure a dedicated geek could still figure out how to hack it, but our target demographic, despite clamoring for privacy, tends to do Facebook "checkins" all the time.