World's Creepiest iPhone App Pulled After Outcry 459
Hugh Pickens writes "Ben Grubb reports that an iPhone app that essentially allowed users to stalk women nearby using a location-based social networking service has been pulled from the iTunes app store by its developer after an outcry of criticism including a comment by Gizmodo labelling the 'Girls Around Me' app as the 'world's creepiest' app and a comment in The New York Times Bits blog, which said it 'definitely' won the prize for being 'too creepy'. The 'Girls Around Me' app utilized publicly available data to show a map with women who had checked-in to locations nearby using Foursquare and let users view Facebook information of those ladies if they had tied their Facebook account to their Foursquare account and if their Facebook account privacy settings were lax enough to allow any user to access it. The promotional website used for marketing the app states that the service 'helps you see where nearby girls are checking in, and shows you what they look like and how to get in touch, adding 'In the mood for love, or just after a one-night stand? Girls Around Me puts you in control! Reveal the hottest nightspots, who's in them, and how to reach them.' Foursquare yanked the Girls Around Me app's access to its data, which in turn led to the app's developer removing it from iTunes as it didn't work properly. In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, the company behind the app defended its creation: 'Since the app's launch till last Friday nobody ever raised a privacy concern because, again, it is clearly stated that Girls Around Me cannot show the user more data than [what Foursqure or Facebook] already does.'"
Why forbid it? I fully endorse such apps! (Score:5, Interesting)
No, not because I want to stalk women. But maybe it will eventually make people aware that their privacy is something that should be kept, well, private.
Yes, I'm aware of the implications. Then again, I have zero sympathy for stupid people.
Re:Good intentions pave the road to a stalking cha (Score:5, Interesting)
I'd be willing to file this under "creepy, but inevitable". Given the amount of data these people posted about themselves publicly, it'd only be a matter of time until an app like this was made, and it'll only be a matter of time until one is made again.
Rather than being creeped out about it, and removing it, someone should just take a lesson from judo, and use the weight of the users against them. Someone should just create a Firesheep-like app that identifies users of the system, and when they accessed your data. Call it "Doucher Alert". If the alert goes off, and five minutes later you get hit on by a guy who "was just passing by, baby", then you can safely cross them off your list. Let the morons self-identify. Don't take away their tools, but just make sure the toolbox contains a long enough length of rope.
Gaydar? (Score:5, Interesting)
A while back I was chatting to a friend in a bar, who suddenly said, "wow, he's hot! I wonder if he's single?" and pulled out his phone to check.
I think the app on the phone was called Gaydar. It did essentially the same thing -- showed nearby men's pictures, and some basic profile information. However, the big difference is the men had all very clearly opted in to this service.
(The man was not on Gaydar, so my friend had to do things the old-fashioned way, and go and talk to him.)
Re:Good intentions pave the road to a stalking cha (Score:5, Interesting)
I've been reading about this thing ever since the story broke and found plenty of apps that do more or less the same thing - it's only after Cult of Mac reported about it that it seems the outrage really took off... and even then still only for this app.
The most worrying story I read was that people (they mention girls/women. a lot. pulling at the ol' heartstrings, I suppose, as the app can list men just as well) should indeed be aware of what information they put out there when they go and sign up for facebook, foursquare, etc.
If you feel a "but" coming, here goes:
BUT, that doesn't mean that people should be allowed to just take that information and use it for their own purposes.
They likened it to the "with what she was wearing, she had it coming" adage. Which is a horrible thing, and a horrible comparison as it immediately conjures up images of sexual assault / rape. In reality, the comparison is more akin to "with what she was wearing, she shouldn't complain that somebody was looking". If somebody walks down the street dressed up as Batman, I'm going to look. If somebody walks down the street in shorts that are little more than panties made out of denim, I'm going to look (female or not), because who wouldn't? I'm not going to suggest that if you're wearing that, you want to get sexually assaulted, and perhaps you don't even want to get looked at - but in the latter case you really just have a poor grasp on reality.
So if somebody puts up information on foursquare about where they are, and I find that information, think the person looks cute, yes - I may just google them, and find their facebook, and then take a closer look. Is that creepy? Well if I look up your favorite movie, drink, etc., walk into the establishment, sit down close to you and order your favorite drink and start yapping away about that movie.. yes. But then I'm a creep - that doesn't make finding that information 'creepy'. It's just human curiosity. Millions of people don't find it one bit creepy when it's a story in the latest tabloid / Cosmo / etc.
And yet that is exactly the sort of thing that is being argued in these articles. That when you put something on facebook, you're actually only putting it up there for the purposes that you want it to be used for. Even if you've made it public for the world, that you get full control over how that information is used.
So you want to be found with foursquare because that's how you get your cheaper drink, but you don't want anybody -but- that establishment to know that. Of course the establishment has the exact opposing desire: they want as many people checked in there as possible. Neither of them are likely to 'want' apps like these to exist, but the latter two desires are completely opposite.
So what is the solution? Why, ban these apps, of course.
Never mind that the information can still be looked up manually (or by means of other apps), as long as the threat that's on the radar has been eliminated.
One suggestion that I did find interesting was getting a notification when somebody uses your information. Unfortunately, that would be technically a horrible mess, and with things like foursquare, how quickly would you turn those notifications off when you get dozens per day from random passers-by / people doing web queries / etc?
There was a great opportunity here to teach people about their privacy settings, but it has gotten completely undermined by simply labeling the app as 'creepy', 'stalker app', etc. and the defense that just because you're telling the world where you are, that doesn't mean the world should actually be listening.
This includes Cult of Mac, whose latter stories have focused more on the app than on the privacy issues with foursquare/facebook.
Though I wouldn't expect much different, seeing as Cult of Mac uses a comment syndication service (Vanilla) which, in part, accepts facebook logins. Which in turn yields your facebook profile image. Which in turn yields your facebook profile, no matter what you make your user name in the comment appear to be.
Doctor, heal thyself.
Re:Good intentions pave the road to a stalking cha (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Looks like they beat me to it. (Score:4, Interesting)
It's not just the women who sometimes have evolutionary blinders.
How many times I've heard some guy complain bitterly how no women will pay attention to him, and then completely dismiss someone who practically throws herself at him because she's "kinda chunky".
Re:Good intentions pave the road to a stalking cha (Score:5, Interesting)
A while back I had a female stalker, mostly I got laughed at or got outright nasty looks. A lot of guys picture stalking as this wonderful thing they would love to have happen and see other guys who are not enjoying the experience as not being grateful.
And the girls just had this 'but you are guy, it is different' dismissive attitude. Even worse some took her side with the idea that it was wrong of me to reject her, that it just was not acceptable for guys to not accept a girl's advances.
Re:Looks like they beat me to it. (Score:4, Interesting)
I think you misunderstood my post.
I am using her definitions here...
Her idea of hitting on her is not cat-calling (Hey Sexy, come on over here!, etc...) her idea of hitting on is a guy commenting on the rainy weather when riding in an elevator.
She goes of her way to be objectified, but then claims offense if she gets attention from a guy she does not like. If you're an attractive woman who walks around in an suggestive outfit, don't be surprised when someone turns their head.
I paint my nails black and often catch people of both genders looking, even get chatted up by some women and (i assume) gay men. Should I be offended because people who I find sexually unattractive look at something that is attention grabbing?
Re:"Outcry" misdirected (Score:4, Interesting)
In fact, if you don't want to interact with other people, you should go live in the woods. People being around each other in high density will lead to conversations with strangers whether you want it or not.
Re:Good intentions pave the road to a stalking cha (Score:4, Interesting)
Well, if a guy is smart...he isn't going to use that intelligence in such a direct manner. It does, however, give him good ammunition for his repoire with her after he approaches. Talking about things that will spark her interests...and he can come off as something in common with her...shared experience...etc.
its all part of the game really....any advantage a guy can have to create intimacy (which girls value highly and react to), and stand out as a bit different from the crowd, and are interesting....will help said guy get laid....or even more if that's what he's after.
One of the main things a guy can do on approach..is get the girl to talk about her self, and if he can work in things HE knows, he can keep her going on, etc.
There has never been a woman that went home complaining that the guy she was with let her talk about herself too much....
Re:Good intentions pave the road to a stalking cha (Score:2, Interesting)
Why does this shit get so frequently modded up on slashdot? Perhaps an over-abundance of basement-dwellers get mod points or something.
It's sexist because it's making sweeping (and frequently incorrect) remarks about 50% of the population.
It's bad enough that people post bullshit like this. It's worse that it gets modded up.