Posted on 03/31/2012 4:51:55 PM PDT by nickcarraway
New 'Girls Around Me' iPhone App Helps You Stalk Women Girls Around Me scans for women who have checked in on Foursquare, so you can find her and tell her you found her on the internet.
You know how it's totally cool and normal and appropriate to just show up somewhere because you know there's a girl there, at that very moment, who you think is cute, even if she doesn't happen to know you exist? Oh, wait. I think that's called stalking. And it's the premise behind the new iPhone app Girls Around Me.
The creepiest app I've personally ever heard of, Girls Around Me scans for women who have checked in on Foursquare. Once it finds ladies (who don't know you are a human being) in the area, it offers you their Facebook profiles, so you can have a whole lot to talk about when you show up where she is because you saw her picture on the Internet.
It should be noted the only connection between the app's users and these women is that they both use the Internet.
Stanford law lecturer Elizabeth Stark said, "This would be a very different application if it didn't link back to Facebook, which is the treasure trove of information. With that link, this app could easily be a 'let's stalk women' app."
Which, I can't really think of another usage for it.
The app's made by a Russian company called SMS Services O.o.o., and there's a good chance the app may not be around for too much longer since Foursquare has taken action against it.
Foursquare spokeswomen Laura Covington said, "This is a violation of our API policy, so we've reached out to the developer and shut off their API access." Regardless, one can still buy the app from the iTunes store.
As much backlash as the app has seen, it does point out the inherent danger of posting your location on the Internet. Information is information. Once it's in a public place, it can be used in whatever way people choose.
So be careful or carry this around.
Reason 243 why I don’t have a cell phone.
And if I did, the SIM card and battery would be removed if I wasn’t using it. I have no desire to make my 24/7 movements available to anybody.
I’m amazed that people don’t see the possibilities here.
“Ex-cons around me” would be a good one to have.
reason 219292054 why facebook is the ultimate Bad Idea.
Someone needs to make an app that let’s you see who the creeps are that have this app...
FUD. No such app in the iPhone app store.
They should call the app “Girls avoiding me”.
People voluntarily use, and put tons of personal data on Facebook and these other sites. They are public sites these people post data to. This is why NOT to do that, it’s not private. It’s open to a whole world of people.
Conversely this same technology could be used to set up a corresponding “Stalkers Around Me” type of app.
I’m sure “cops around me” is going to be extremely popular.
People use Four Square to post to Facebook, Twitter and who knows where else when they’ve arrived or left a location. They have control over this information. Some people want to be “noticed” and it seems this “app” was only making use of that info. That’s not stalking except to nitwits who don’t understand what it means to freely disseminate your location or post on a social site.
Somehow, I suspect if you turned up on this app, it would be a serious bug!
Indeed it would. Especially since I'm not a girl (last last time I looked :).
How about “registered sex offenders around me”.
“Ankle bracelets around me”.
>>>FUD. No such app in the iPhone app store.
Perhaps now, but not at the time the article was written.
“Tricorder readings indicate that there are two female human beings within 100 meters of our position, Captain.”
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