Monday, August 2, 2010

"Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime is death."



Does anyone else think that "geolocation" is actually a really bad idea?



What is geolocation, you ask? Well, according to wikipedia (an always reliable source) geolocation is the identification of the real-world geographic location of an object, such as a cell phone or an Internet-connected computer terminal.

A more specific example of geolocation would be "foursquare"...what is "foursquare", you ask? Back to wikipedia for this little nugget.."Foursquare is a location-based social networking website, software for mobile devices, and also a game. Users "check-in" at venues using a mobile website, text messaging or a device-specific application. They are then awarded points and sometimes badges."

Aside from the fact that the foursquare notices which clutter up my news feed are INCREDIBLY annoying I also think that it is dangerous and a tad narcissistic. First of all , if you are in a coffee shop in the distillery district...that means I can break into your house and steal your shit, right?


And secondly, despite what you may think, I do not need/want to know where you are at all times. And even less, I do not want updates sent to me every five minutes outlining this fact. It makes me feel as if I am indirectly stalking you and I don't like that feeling.

Maybe it's just me but, in an age where parents preach constant vigilance to their wee ones and change passwords weekly to protect their identities, doesn't it seem counter intuitive to advertise your location every minute of the day?

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