Comments on: Location Tracking http://www.nathanrice.org/2007/03/location-tracking/ The Personal Webspace of Nathan Rice Sun, 16 May 2010 21:27:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ben Cotten http://www.nathanrice.org/2007/03/location-tracking/#comment-520 Ben Cotten Mon, 19 Mar 2007 19:47:45 +0000 http://www.nathanrice.org/2007/03/19/location-tracking/#comment-520 The whole thing kinda creeps me out. I realize there are some legitimate uses for the technology (like GPS trackers in company delivery trucks for example) but I seriously doubt these companies are clearly communicating the dangers involved to their customers. Most people don't think about this things at all. These are the same people that when they see an internet pop-up that says "You have a virus. Click Here to Remove it." They click away like blind lemmings. These same people will allow any identity thief, kidnapper or pedophile access to their precise location at any point in time (and probably a lot of other personal info). Why don't we just go ahead and get the GPS chips implanted in our heads and make it convenient... I guess what concerns me is that it always seems like the positive marketing spin is never really balanced by someone saying "Hey, be careful with this. It's fun, but You could put your eye out..." The whole thing kinda creeps me out. I realize there are some legitimate uses for the technology (like GPS trackers in company delivery trucks for example) but I seriously doubt these companies are clearly communicating the dangers involved to their customers.

Most people don’t think about this things at all. These are the same people that when they see an internet pop-up that says “You have a virus. Click Here to Remove it.” They click away like blind lemmings. These same people will allow any identity thief, kidnapper or pedophile access to their precise location at any point in time (and probably a lot of other personal info).

Why don’t we just go ahead and get the GPS chips implanted in our heads and make it convenient…

I guess what concerns me is that it always seems like the positive marketing spin is never really balanced by someone saying “Hey, be careful with this. It’s fun, but You could put your eye out…”

]]> By: George http://www.nathanrice.org/2007/03/location-tracking/#comment-519 George Mon, 19 Mar 2007 17:57:45 +0000 http://www.nathanrice.org/2007/03/19/location-tracking/#comment-519 There certainly exists a potential for abuse in such services. I shudder to imagine the ways in which a gifted hacker could make use of it, or even the government (especially in light of the abuses of federal law enforcement powers now coming to light). Perhaps worse, children might be gullible enough to allow a predator access to their location-finder. But there are many legitimate uses for it, and I am strongly opposed to limiting a useful technology because of the potential for abuse (I make exceptions for such things as developing nuclear weapons, because the danger simply so far outweighs the benefits). There certainly exists a potential for abuse in such services. I shudder to imagine the ways in which a gifted hacker could make use of it, or even the government (especially in light of the abuses of federal law enforcement powers now coming to light). Perhaps worse, children might be gullible enough to allow a predator access to their location-finder. But there are many legitimate uses for it, and I am strongly opposed to limiting a useful technology because of the potential for abuse (I make exceptions for such things as developing nuclear weapons, because the danger simply so far outweighs the benefits).

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