14 DAY TRIAL // One should always read the fine print before purchasing, using, or recommending a product. Microsoft has indeed come out with one of the most up-to-date mapping and location platform, but it might come at the price of your privacy.
The privacy policy states the following: Microsoft may disclose location information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Microsoft; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Microsoft and our family of Web sites; or (c) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees or agents, users of Microsoft products or services, or members of the public? Location information collected by Location Finder may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries or agents maintain facilities.
The new directions and locator tool might actually be used to 'spy' on your exact whereabouts using geolocation finding technology. The service called 'Locate Me' launches a Placelab-like wifi base-station geolocation technique called 'Location Finder." This in turn listens for the MAC address while comparing it to a client cache of locations of known base stations. Unlike Placelab, this information seems to not be 'privacy observant.'
Voleware has seemingly perfected this geolocation technology and does not intend on keeping full anonymity of its customers if asked by law enforcement agents.
Mike Liebhold, a senior researcher for the Institute for the Future said on a web post, "Clearly Microsoft's IP location database includes spooky datamined information about users' actual location that is not normally available by querying the publicly accessible databases." Mr. Liebholdwas one of the first to discover what might be considered a breach of privacy from Microsoft.