[IP] Where R U? Text service tracks teens
Begin forwarded message:
From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: July 20, 2005 10:07:27 AM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Cc: lauren@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] Where R U? Text service tracks teens
Dave,
Well, let's be precise. The service tracks *phones*, not teens.
Unless the parents plan to actually keep establishing voice contact
at intervals (which would hardly be "discreet"), all they know is
where the phone happens to be, not the teens to whom they wish to
attach the electronic rubber bands.
The kids will have workarounds for this in no time. I can
already see the underground ads:
"Making the rounds of the clubs? Attending a rave? Planning a
secret rendezvous? Natasha's Track-o-Rama phone service is the
answer! For a modest fee, Natasha will safely hold your cell
phone and carry it on a predetermined course to various
"parent-safe" locations (libraries, school athletic events,
G and PG-rated theaters, etc.)
Phones will be left fully activated, and incoming calls will
divert to your voicemail message, which may be customized as
necessary for best effect. Special care is taken to ensure
that your phone is kept in strong signal areas to avoid
suspicious dropouts from the cellular networks.
Give your parents the comfort level they desire, while
not cramping your own style. Contact Natasha at ... "
Of course, then the next step will be devices that *lock* onto
the teens' bodies. All of this will just do wonders for
parent/teen relations, we can be sure.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren@xxxxxxxx or lauren@xxxxxxxxxx or lauren@xxxxxxxx
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
- People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, EEPI
- Electronic Entertainment Policy Initiative - http://www.eepi.org
Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
DayThink: http://daythink.vortex.com
- - -
Begin forwarded message:
From: Brian Randell <Brian.Randell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: July 20, 2005 3:42:30 AM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Where R U? Text service tracks teens
Dave:
From today's (UK) Guardian:
Where R U? Text service tracks teens
Lucy Ward, social affairs correspondent
Wednesday July 20, 2005
The Guardian
It is a familiar dilemma for parents of teenagers testing new-found
independence - do you sit at home fretting over their after-school
whereabouts or call their mobiles and risk a tirade against over-
protectiveness?
The answer, according to one company, is a hi-tech apron string
based on the mobile phone location tracking techniques used in
police investigations.
The new KidsOK service, sold in shops including Boots and Bhs as
the summer holidays start, allows parents to use their own mobiles
and their children's to "discreetly" locate wandering offspring (or
their phones, at least) to within about 500m in built-up areas.
Instead of dialling their teenager's number, parents subscribing to
the service send or "ping" a text message including the child's
name to a special mailbox. Within 60 seconds, they receive a map
(if they have a picturephone) or a description showing the position
of the youngster's phone.
The system uses technology which traces the location of a mobile by
pinpointing it within the three nearest mobile phone masts. Because
the masts are clustered in built-up areas, the method is most
accurate in cities and gives a much less precise picture in rural
areas.
. . . .
Full story:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1532026,00.htm
cheers
brian
--
School of Computing Science, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon
Tyne,
NE1 7RU, UK
EMAIL = Brian.Randell@xxxxxxxxx PHONE = +44 191 222 7923
FAX = +44 191 222 8232 URL = http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/~brian.randell/
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