Where R U? Text service tracks teens

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
Date: July 20, 2005 10:07:27 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Cc: lauren () vortex com
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 () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () eepi org
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 () newcastle ac uk>
> Date: July 20, 2005 3:42:30 AM EDT
> To: dave () farber net
> 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 () ncl ac uk   PHONE = +44 191 222 7923
> FAX = +44 191 222 8232  URL = http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/~brian.randell/
>
>
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