The new mobile opt-in service by Google allows smartphone and laptop users to share their current location with family and friends.

When music group Police sang their hit single, Every Breath You Take, that went: Every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching you they probably didn’t think it would be adapted so literally, some day, by tech masterminds as a feature on the smartphone.

Latitude, Google’s latest tracking service, cues you in on the general location of your friend, lover, employer or spouse, using information derived from GPS satellites and cell towers, provided you have downloaded the service.

While Google is promoting it as a feature that keeps you connected, the technology has raised privacy concerns as it could be misused by stalkers, prying employers, jealous partners and obsessive friends.

How Google Latitude works?
>>You download a new version of Google Maps on to your mobile device, and invite friends to join via email.
>>Once they accept, and if they have a Google account with a profile picture, you’ll see them on a map on your screen. You can then send them an email, text message or call them, and also derive directions to their location.
>>The application can be downloaded for free from the Google website. The only cost that the consumer will have to bear is the data packet charges that are levied by mobile operators.
>>It works on both, mobile devices and personal computers.
>>Once activated, the location of a person appears as a blue dot on a map on your screen, depending on
privacy settings chosen by him/her.
>>Controls include choosing which contacts can see your location, the ability to set a different privacy level for each contact and allowing the user to hide or even enter a false location. Users can choose to enter their location manually or automatically.