Google Offers Way For Wireless Network Users To Opt Out Of Google Location Server Inclusion

Google has announced a new plan that will help people that have wireless networks at home or in their offices opt out of being included in the Google Location Server. The GLS is one of the ways that Google helps provide location services to mobile users. When your network is in the GLS listings it can be used to find where a person is when they use location services on a mobile device.

Many people out there are very sensitive to having their locations tracked even if it is anonymous. With Google's problems with its Street View Team capturing WiFi data the search giant is big on offering users more privacy control. To that end, there is a very easy way that Google will overlook your wireless network when returning locations with the GLS.

All the user has to do is change the SSID of their network slightly. Google says that to be omitted from the GLS you need to add the _nomap modifier to the end of your SSID. That means if your SSID is wifi, you need to make it wifi_nomap. Google says that it hopes over time other location providers will also adopt the _nomap modifier to omit the network from location services.