Location and online status disclosure in ActiveCampus Explorer works similar to instant messaging clients where such information is only available to those one has chosen as mutual 'buddies'. At any time, either user can end the buddy relationship. Additionally, a user can choose to be invisible such that they appear offline and their location is hidden from their buddies, or to be location invisible where only their location is withheld from their buddies. A user starts life with no buddies, so any information the user wishes known is provided at their discretion to those they wish it known by.

Location in ActiveCampus Explorer is not required to be the user's actual location. A user can disable geolocation from within ActiveCampus Explorer, or simply not run the locator client, and set their position manually. For example, manual geolocation can be used to tell a user's buddies where to expect them rather than where they currently are, or for a user to lie about their location to their buddies for whatever reason. With geolocation disabled, ActiveCampus Explorer will ignore any new geolocation data sent to it by the user's locator client - it does not get stored anywhere.

To encourage meeting new people, there is also an optional 'promiscuous mode' a user can choose to enable that will disclose that user's online status and location (unless they have set the invisible location option) to everyone on ActiveCampus Explorer. You can often find me, 'swbrown', logged in and with promiscuous mode turned on. The 'Graffiti' system which allows users to post text and pictures at locations, on sites, and on their buddies, also facilitates chance interaction between users as the messages are readable by all. Graffiti can optionally be posted anonymously such that users, as well as ActiveCampus Explorer developers, will not know who posted it.

All information sent to or received from ActiveCampus Explorer on the PDAs is encrypted (SSL) for privacy. Encrypting versions of the Linux and WinXP locator client alphas are in progress.