There is a constant push and pull between convenience and privacy, especially in an era when 3.27 billion people are using the Internet. As smart phones become smarter, location-based services (LBS) are poised to make our lives a lot easier…but at what cost?

Before answering that beast of a question for the general population, there are subsets within our society that can greatly benefit from LBS. For example, an elderly person who looks up and can’t remember where he is, how he got there, and even who he is. Or a child who has inadvertently wandered away from the group on a class trip. Or a visually-impaired person navigating the local subway system. All of these groups of people can benefit from accurate LBS built in to their daily lives.

Low power, low cost technology is already being sewn into material for tracking uniforms and linens for hospitals and hotels. These types of advances in wearable technology will make finding a missing person or child that much easier.

Barrier Free Access, a wholly owned social enterprise of The Hong Kong Society for the Blind, is currently working with Hong Kong MTR to embed RFID chips into their marked pathways and walls. Corresponding chips in mobility canes will enable the visually impaired to more easily navigate public transportation without also having to hold a smart phone.

As companies find ways to enhance our lives through the Internet of Things, perhaps a gradual approach to adopting LBS will give society time to figure out the right balance between convenience and privacy.