Have you ever thought it would be cool to put a tracking device on a person? You would be able to watch their every move as they made it. We have all seen sci-fi shows where a person is being tracked by Omni-present Big Brother because of a chip placed under their skin but of course this isn’t legal (yet).
Do you still crave the knowledge of what your significant other is up to while not around or exactly how far your friend Jimmy is from your house since he said he was on the way an hour ago? Well it just so happens the mobile phone gods have heard your cries and decided to answer them by bringing you Loopt.
Loopt is mobile 2.0 a social mapping service used on mobile devices and accessible through a number of wireless carriers. The Loopt service allows one to get location updates of friends along with geo-tagged photos, updates from social communities and blogs. Ryan Calo, residential fellow at CIS and an expert on electronic privacy issues said that the growth of geo-locating services is happening because, “location data is really salient. It really matters to an individual to find things around them and really matters to advertisers to connect with people”.
This breadth of knowledge is great but with all forms of technology there is the possibility of abuse and in this case it would center on privacy concerns. The most pertinent questions are who has access to my information and how are they using it? Loopt co-founder, Sam Altman claims that his service places customer privacy in the highest regard and is not wantonly giving information out to marketers. However the service does share your information with marketing partners of Loopt. The company also stresses that it gives users control over who gets to see their location and when.
Even with all the coolness that Loopt is I still don’t see myself using the service. It just seems a little creepy to me that my friend Derrick can find out instantaneously that I’m within 20 miles of his house or if I’m passing by a sex shop that I could receive a discount coupon for condoms. It’s just too much information available to too many people even with the ability to control location disclosure.
Kelly said,
July 7, 2009 @ 10:51 pm
Hey J’mee,
It was great to read about your perspective on Loopt. We have a location based social network in Beta and would appreciate your opinions if you have the time. http://www.mizoon.com It is a web based location based social network. With Mizoon, you have the choice to tell friends where you are at, or not; use a “work” or “play” privacy setting and you can use the Facebook connect option to connect with all of you friends you may already have on Facebook.
Good luck in your studies,
Kelly
Shanelle Fields said,
July 11, 2009 @ 3:24 am
Facebook has become a large part of internet culture. It is the way by which some people live. Its uses are varied and include dating, advertising, communication with friends and family, as well as a way to pass the time. In many instances, the consistent, incessant use has become an addiction. Personally, I haven’t engaged in the pasttime much, but I do see how it opens a door to many avenues where people facilitate their thoughts and ideas without being in the person’s face. An addiction generally occurs when someone decides to make an action a precedent over other things that are needed in order to live. I know many people who can’t get through their day without checking their Facebook account and posting something. So, Facebook addiction is very real and some people can and have allowed it to take over their lives. Therefore, increased attention needs to be paid to this widely known activity.
caldwelj said,
July 12, 2009 @ 7:26 pm
I wonder will addictions as a whole continue to rise with the state of the economy and worsening world affairs? But I can totally see this trend increasing and not just with Facebook but through other social networking avenues.