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Am I the only person that has a real big problem with software like this?

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wraith808:
And I do monitor all of that, knowing very well that these people closest to you are the most likely to do so.  It's sad but true.  And it's not too disturbing to contemplate, unfortunately, for me.

I don't know about the specifics of this particular software, and perhaps the intent is dodgy.  But you're grouping all monitoring in with this.  And there are very real threats out there, and very real uses for this type of software that is not nefarious.  Do we not use fire because of arsonists?  Do we not use knives because of the fact that they are used to kill?

And just because there is one way to do such things (the trace the phone bit) does that mean that's the only way you'd want to do it?  Is no one else allowed to provide solutions that might be useful?

40hz:
And just because there is one way to do such things (the trace the phone bit) does that mean that's the only way you'd want to do it?  Is no one else allowed to provide solutions that might be useful?
-wraith808 (October 05, 2013, 03:21 PM)
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Not in my perfect world they ain't! :mad:

But since I'm not in charge here - and my perfect world is a very small and wholly imaginary place - that shouldn't bother anybody.
 ;D

wraith808:
And just because there is one way to do such things (the trace the phone bit) does that mean that's the only way you'd want to do it?  Is no one else allowed to provide solutions that might be useful?
-wraith808 (October 05, 2013, 03:21 PM)
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Not in my perfect world they ain't! :mad:

But since I'm not in charge here - and my perfect world is a very small and wholly imaginary place - that shouldn't bother anybody.
 ;D
-40hz (October 05, 2013, 04:20 PM)
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So... doesn't that mean that you're going down the slippery slope on the facing edge?  I mean... that you'd want to prevent people from making things based on what they could be used for...

...just saying...  >:D (there's no devil emote for devil's advocate... hmm...)

40hz:
^Actually, no... I'm not.

Just sayin'   ;)

I didn't say something like this shouldn't be allowed to be created - not that you could prevent it anyway. My issue is with the mindset of the people who would employ something like this.

And FWIW, something like this is likely to he illegal in some jurisdictions. There have been cases where courts have determined technology like this goes beyond the remit of being a parent. So I'm not the only person who is concerned about leaving the use of something like this solely to the "discretion" of a parent.

Renegade:
Additionally, how can you ever be sure you, as the parent, are the only person with access to the information that software provides? It's closed source - so you only have the developer's word who has access. And developers have happily lied about such things before. Look at what we've since learned about how far you can trust a privacy policy from Google, Microsoft, and most of the other biggies in the wake of the Snowden revelations.
-40hz (October 05, 2013, 11:25 AM)
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Good point. What about if you program it yourself? A simple GPS monitor would only take a few days of programming to get working. The only part that I'm not sure about is getting it to run like a service/daemon as I've not done that on a smartphone before and don't know the APIs for that.

1) Run as a service.
2) Get GPS data. (Optionally use cell tower data for coarse locations.)
3) Encrypt and send data to server.
4) Web page with login to read data.

There's not a lot more to it than that.

This is a dangerous product in that it teaches people, at a very young age, that it is somehow perfectly acceptable for you (or others) to electronically monitor another human being purely for your own peace of mind.
-40hz (October 05, 2013, 11:25 AM)
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Ok, you do have a point there. That is a concern.

But again, going back to what I've been harping on about age... Is it a bad idea to monitor small children that are prone to getting lost?

Sorry...it doesn't get more corrosive than that.
-40hz (October 05, 2013, 11:25 AM)
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Given how you've framed it as behavioural modification, I can see how it's corrosive there.

But that's ok. I'm sure Uncle Sam is all for it. So that should be assurance enough (for those who are still concerned) that it's completely "ok" to hang an electronic snoop on your kids. That will go a long way towards soothing any anxiety they may have when the government starts doing it to them as adults about twenty years from now.
-40hz (October 05, 2013, 11:25 AM)
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You've made an excellent argument for not telling your kids that you have placed monitoring software on the devices they use! ;) 8)

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