Evidently, I have been too stationary the last few months, since both Google (News - Alert) and Facebook blocked me from access when they did not recognize my location. I am in Illinois this week at the Illinois Institute of Technology, for their Real Time Communications event.

Carol Davids and the team do a nice event and they have a strong track on next generation 911 services, which connects with the irony of my being blocked. For years, the mantra has been that access carriers are the ones that know where we are and that applications only have a vague idea.

Well, if the services are going to block you when you move locations, obviously they hold the knowledge of where you are in higher esteem than they claimed with the government.

I overcame Google’s concern fairly quickly, but I am afraid Facebook (News - Alert) is going to have to wait until I get home, which is fine by me.

However, the implication is different if you are thinking of M2M solutions that integrate on to cloud services, even Facebook. If the cookie in your browser is no longer the sole means of trust between you and the cloud, it may be that we have a stumbling point for device and application roll outs.

If M2M follows human-like behavior, about a third of the M2M applications will be very nomadic. The other two thirds of M2M applications will be relatively stable: a person’s home, a medical facility, a factory etc. But what happens when sensors move? Will the systems want authentication? People are random by nature, and it’s a bad idea to use analytics as rules if you cannot manage them effectively.

The funny thing here is this security measure that stopped me from going onto the sites is actually a breach in my privacy. As Mark Zuckerberg (News - Alert) has said, “anyone expecting privacy should get over it.” Likewise if a company offers services and tracks my locations, they should not be surprised when regulation is thrust upon it.

If you are implementing interfaces to your M2M solutions like an Alzheimer’s patient monitor on Facebook for the family, or a pill reminder application, or if you are considering integrating the Facebook OAuth system, be aware you may be unaware of the implications in using third party platforms on your service. It may be more trouble than its worth.