Private proximity detection using partial GPS information

Liang Heng, Athindran Ramesh Kumar, Grace Xingxin Gao

Abstract: With the proliferation of GPS-enabled mobile devices, location based services have gained in popularity. In particular, proximity-based services are commonly used to help a user interact with other users nearby. However, these services endanger the privacy of users as the location information is provided to the service provider. This paper proposes a novel private proximity detection scheme based on partial GPS range measurement information. We develop an efficient algorithm for proximity detection and theoretically analyze the false alarm performance. Simulation and empirical results validate this scheme and evaluate its performance.