Tens of thousands of Hongkongers have signed up for a service that allows mobile phone users to learn the location of the person they are calling.
The 3G service, called "Follow Me Follow You", was launched in 2005 by network provider 3HK, a unit of Hutchison Telecom, to much fanfare that it would be used to keep track of errant lovers.
However, a spokesman for the company's marketing and communications department said the service had proved to have broader appeal and application.
"Most subscribers are parents who use the function to search for their kids," he said. "Others use it to locate their elderly parents who may have lost their way home."
Some employers also used it to locate their maid, while friends may simply use it to link up for a dinner or social date.
And, yes, there were subscribers who wanted to keep track of a husband or wife.
But "Follow Me Follow You" requires all users to seek the consent of the party they want to be able to locate. Once registered, a user of the network can access the map location of another user by SMS if the other party has given authorisation.
It also allows a user to set up a scheduled search timetable to track another subscriber's location at a particular time.
The service costs HK$28 a month for unlimited searches.
Legislator Lee Cheuk-yan yesterday urged employers to trust their employees and not to use such technology to invade their privacy.
"Despite [subscribers having to gain consent] in the beginning, it still infringes the privacy of labour. If they have been working for 15 to 16 hours a day, it is understandable for them to just take a nap," he said.
Asked whether there was a privacy issue, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said they would not comment on individual cases. But according to the Personal Data Ordinance, the data could only be used and collected with the prescribers consent, she said.
SCMP
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