Gone too Far..

The twenty first century is like an ameba; it takes no shape. It is continuously changing, with no boundaries and seemingly no rules. Has it gone too far?

Today it is assumed most people have an i-phone (not including myself). It has become a common place. Who waits at a bus stop anymore when there is a catabus app? Who brings dictionaries to class when you can just log onto the internet through your i-phone? There are thousands of apps that come out weekly, each making life “easier.” I never saw anything wrong with these apps. That is until they started to infringe of my privacy.

“Girls around me” is a new app that has flared up and created much controversy-with good reason. It scans the city for profiles of women and men that are near to the i-phone holder’s location. On the very website it promotes the use of this app with phrases like, “This foursquare-based tool helps you see where nearby girls are checking in, and shows you what they look like and how to get in touch! You can also search for guys or see who’s hanging out at a particular place.” Another, even more disturbing slogan states, “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...”

Forbes

I don’t know about the users, but I myself would rename this app to “Stalker’s best friend.” In a day an age where rapists are not strangers that hide behind bushes, but who impersonate a classmate or friend via the internet, shouldn’t this app be sending red lights to us?

This app literally acts as a tracking device. Everything from our pictures to our personal information is shown with this application. Dropping It allows the user to pin point on a map where a person checked in on. People now turn into locations on a Google map.  One has the ability to tap on a picture to connect to his or her Facebook account and other directories that contains her personal information.

Still think it’s a harmless app? Perhaps these statistics about cyber stalking will sway your opinion:

• More than one mil­lion women are stalked annu­ally in the US
• One in twelve women and one in forty-five men will be stalked in their lifetimes
• Vic­tims of cyber stalking tend to be females between 18–29 years of age (Copyright © 1997-2012 WHOA)

Sometimes cut and dry statistics can be the logos that persuades an audience. It is not always fun to be slapped in the face with reality, but the world we live in is not a safe place. Unfortunately, as time progresses and more and more of our personal life is shared via the internet, we must take more precautions in order to avoid becoming apart of another ever building victim statistic…