Q1:Location-based tracking is common
to all smartphones, for good reason or bad, the popular location-based service
company Foursquare has an app so you can check in at various locations to
receive discounts, become Mayor, and see who else might be there. DealLeak
which aggregates deals from the likes of Groupon and Living Social, needs your
location in order to offer local discounts on products and services to you. How
many location-based service apps do you have on your smartphone? How often do
you use them and why?
Frankly speaking, my smartphone does
not have much app for location tracking and I seldom have used them. I have
three location-based application on my smartphone, that are, Google Maps, GPS
and Facebook. Facebook “check in” function is a good app for me to show my
happiness with others when I go to somewhere special or events. Sometimes, I
can tag my friends in to share the joy or excitement. The GPS and Google Maps
are for the convenience to search a location where I never been. However, some
places are not updated in the systems which has made me lost in the town few times.
Hence, I have made a habit to check the location properly one day before
departure. It will help to avoid lost in somewhere similar location place name
but totally different locations.
Q2: Apple and Google
defended their processes by stating that their privacy policies very clearly
stated what information would be gathered, how that information would be used,
and how and with whom that information might be shared. When was the last time
you read the privacy policy of any technology tool, such as a Web browser or
app? Do you think very many people actually read these? Do the disclaimers in
these privacy polices give the offering organization the right to do anything
with your information?
A privacy policy is a statement or legal
document that discloses some or all the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses,
and manages a customer or client’s data. It states how an individual’s
information will be used. To
be honest, I never read the policies of any technology tool and I don’t believe many people actually read these
privacy policies. Accordingly, I believe that the policies do state that the
related organization can use you information and once you sign it, indicated
that you are agreed to it. A lot of the time, a company that in fact does use
your information, explicitly defines the use within the policies that the
consumer must agree to. Social
networking through websites and email has to be tracked anyway, so why wouldn’t
a company that is forced legally to retain that information not use it to their
advantage?
Q3: What about
location-based tracking in car systems like GM’s OnStar? Those systems know the
car’s location to give you driving directions and perhaps identify local
restaurants or other venues. Are you comfortable with this? When was the last
time you bought a paper map? How much do you rely on your car’s GPS system?
In Malaysia, OnStar is not popular
and frankly speaking that I totally have no idea about it. I searched thru the
best tool, Google and found the information below. According to Google, OnStar
systems have been proven to be extremely helpful in emergency situations.
OnStar provides subscription based communications, in-vehicle security, hands
free calling, turn-by-turn navigation and remote diagnostics systems which are
very welcomed by U.S, Canada and China. A new aftermarket interior rear-view mirror with a built-in OnStar module, branded as OnStar FMV,
became available to the public on July 24, 2011. It provides some of the
features an OEM system has, such as Automatic Crash Response, Stolen Vehicle
Tracking, Turn-by-Turn Navigation, and Roadside Assistance. Besides, drivers
and passengers can use OnStar’s audio interface to contact OnStar
representatives for emergency services, vehicle diagnostics and directions. However,
in daily, it can be used to identify local restaurants or other venues as well.
It will bring additional benefits to the users. If OnStar is available in
Malaysia and I am not necessary to buy GM vehicles, I would find it useful and
comfortable as it seems like an invisible body guard to me. However, a body
guard could be hazardous to me also, if I am lucky enough to be targeted by
someone doing bad thing.
Q4: What about smartphone tracking for
parents who want to know where their children are and where they’ve been?
Minors under the age of 18 have very few privacy rights, especially when it
comes to parents’ knowledge of where they are. Are parents going too far in
wanting to know where their children are? What are the benefits of such systems
for parents? For the children? What does the term “helicopter parent” refers
to?
Parents nowadays have no
difficulties or gap in knowing where is their children or where have been going
to. It gives the authority to parents of monitoring the children. But however,
in my opinion, I feel that a parent should use all the available resources to
understand their children’s curiosities and be able to address them
appropriately with ample knowledge. By
knowing where the children have gone to, the parents should not only forbid the
children to go somewhere, but by telling them when is the right time to go. A
parent can’t stop his children from going pub or karaoke while he is doing the
same thing. However, the parents should spend more time with the children. For
example, bringing them to travel during holidays or a small picnic gathering
during weekends. Tracking system in smartphone has brought to the parents of
monitoring but it does not bring family happiness. Hence, the parents should
use the tracking system wisely and make improvement from it. From the searching
result of Google, a helicopter parent is one that pays close attention to their
children's experiences and problems socially and within their educational
experience, similar to how a helicopter would hover.
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