ProVer: A secure system for the provision of verified location information

Abstract

With location becoming one of the few key pieces of context regarding a user and services springing up to take advantage of this, location verification is an increasingly important system aspect, allowing these services to trust in a device's supplied location. We propose to remove the burden of providing this feature from Location Based Services (LBS) through the introduction of ProVer, a system to provide verified location information regarding any mobile user employing a wireless device. ProVer does not rely on a pre-existing infrastructure to verify a device's location but instead employs evidence from neighbouring devices to confirm a specific device's presence, allowing almost unlimited reach in the system's coverage. ProVer also ensures a device's personal information, such as identity and location, remain private and secure, allowing devices to participate in the system with confidence. © Institute for Computer Sciences, Social-Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering 2010.