Abstract: A location tracking privacy engine is described herein that is configured to allow users to define privacy policies that govern how location information about each user is provided to context-aware applications and services. Privacy policies can be defined in a highly flexible and context-specific manner such that the execution of a given privacy policy by the location tracking privacy engine is dependent on the existence of one or more social, topical, temporal or spatial conditions. Privacy policies are then executed automatically by the location tracking privacy engine when the conditions associated with the policies are determined to be satisfied.

Abstract: A system and method is described herein that automatically provides users with recommendations regarding location tracking privacy policies that may be appropriate to enact in certain contexts as well as a means for enacting such policies. Once a privacy policy is enacted, the manner in which location information associated with the user is provided to at least one application or service will be controlled in accordance with the privacy policy. The recommended privacy policies may represent privacy policies that have been enacted by other users in like contexts.