IP: You Can Surf, but You Can't Hide

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/07/technology/circuits/07HERE.html

Auto-abstract

Now imagine being able to do the same thing with any wired or wireless 
device of the future --- whether it is in the car, in an airplane or at the 
gym.

That is the idea behind a programming concept called presence awareness, 
which is based on the realization that appliances on a network can 
automatically be detected by other devices.

Many software developers predict that presence technology will become 
almost as ubiquitous as communication devices themselves.

In six months, Motorola (news/quote) officials say, the company will roll 
out a system that will allow a caller to tell whether another person's 
mobile phone is on and whether it is in use.

Nokia (news/quote) and Ericsson (news/quote), among several other 
telecommunications companies, are also developing the technology, for use 
in either land-line or wireless phones.

Presence technology is also being considered for hand-held computers, 
wireless Web pads, communications systems in cars, and even exercise 
machines that provide Internet access at the gym.

The prospect of information that can reveal a person's availability at a 
given moment, anywhere in the world strikes many people as both creepy and 
intriguing.

"You could see that you could instantaneously reach these people if you 
need them," Dr. McKenna said.

But along with comfort comes the unnerving feeling of being watched, a 
lesson that has been experienced by millions of instant messaging users.

By keeping track of the activity on their Buddy Lists, people with I.M. can 
use log-in information to get a sense of their buddies' routines --- when 
they arrive at work, when they are online at home on a weekend, or in some 
cases how long they have been away from their computers.

Information that was private (or at least not easy to acquire) can become 
known --- with little effort --- by employers, co-workers, friends, family 
members and, sometimes, by strangers.

After spending a few years studying instant messaging, Dr. Nardi said she 
became aware of the subtle impact of presence technology on people's lives.

Mr. Aggarwal uses MSN Messenger, which displays a clock icon in the contact 
list to indicate when a person has not touched the keyboard or mouse for, 
say, five minutes.

Hints of a coming struggle between privacy and openness turned up in a 
recent project at Bell Labs, the research and development arm of Lucent 
Technologies (news/quote).

In the project, which was called Rear View Mirror, a scientist, Dr. James 
Herbsleb, and several colleagues studied a group of Lucent employees in 
American and European offices who used a Bell Labs instant messaging system 
for more than a year.

People outside those groups had to get colleagues' permission to watch 
their movements.

Software developers say they can design presence awareness systems to 
accommodate both those who seek privacy and those who want constant contact.

Yahoo (news/quote) and Microsoft (news/quote), for example, include privacy 
features in their instant messaging products.

Michele Magazine, a publishing consultant in Manhattan who briefly used the 
Instant Messenger program from America Online, said she was troubled by the 
lack of privacy.

If Bill is merely a distant acquaintance, and you decline, will it look 
like a snub?

The Internet Engineering Task Force, the group that develops standards for 
Internet communication, has been thinking about several such implications, 
according to the engineers involved.

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