Everybody’s seen the commercial – somebody’s on a beach, and it looks as though they’re changing the environment around them with a bottle of beer. When they set the beer down, the camera pulls back, and we realize that it wasn’t quite as it seemed. Which is all a buildup for the tagline: “Change your whole latitude.”

Sometimes we need to step back and deliberately change our point of view when we’re talking about certain social media services, especially ones that announce where you are, like Loopt or Google Latitude.

There are clear and easily understood privacy concerns involved: What if someone you don’t want to know where you are finds your information? What if law enforcement personnel want to know where you are? Why would you want to give Google that kind of information, anyway?

The only answers that come easily to mind are ones concerning that last question – and those don’t offer much solace. Targeted advertising is nice – and if it can get to the point where we see ads for places we’re interested and are nearby, then the value of that advertising – to advertisers and consumers – is drastically increased. But that doesn’t answer any of our questions about privacy.

This is where we need to step back and do a little research, in order to get a better picture of how these systems work.

According to internet freedom and privacy watchdogs, the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, both Google Latitude and Loopt adhere to strict privacy guidelines, which limit the circumstances under which law enforcement can access the information given by users. Their policies, again according to the EFF, both sum up to “come back when you have a warrant.”

Moreover, neither Google Latitude nor Loopt keep a history of users’ locations. Each time you post where you are, the services will overwrite your previous location with your current location.

It’s less of a real-time tracking service than a twitter-like quick blast of information, which may not have been updated even in a week or two. Which is why you shouldn’t be surprised if one of your Latitude friends has been at Walgreens for a month.

Both services make sure that they stay permission-based. If you want or need to turn it off at any time, it’s easy enough to do that. They won’t post your information unless you give permission.

That permission goes pretty far. Much like Facebook’s privacy settings, Loopt and Latitude both allow you to decide who gets to see what information, and to which extent – if you want to limit it to the city, so other users can’t see the address, you can.

Ultimately, much like any social network, it’s important for you as a user to decide which information you’re comfortable sharing. Google Latitude and Loopt give more specific information about where you are than do other networks, but remember, they only give it out when you offer it up.

Neither Google Latitude nor Loopt seem wont to use your information for evil. Still, the best advice for retaining your privacy while using location services is not dissimilar from advice your mother may have given you: Don’t tell them anything you don’t want them to know.

Tags | Big Brother, Google Latitude, GPS, Location, Loopt, Privacy, social networking