I guess nowadays you don' have to be a private investigator or even a police officer to find out where all the sex offenders are. I remember when I was finishing middle school, we got a mailing list of all the sex offenders around our area- but who has time to flip through all those pages and see where they are?
So the iPhone designed an application for it. With the touch of the screen, people can view sex offenders within a 10-mile radius of where the location.
Some BlackBerry and smart phone models are also offered crime fighting apps.
Some people may argue that it isn't necessary because you can just review the sex offenders around you online but I believe its a matter of convenience. However, criminals can use the application to avoid high crime areas.
This application is helpful in general but people shouldn't just depend on it. What happened to using your old school street smarts and knowing that you shouldn't leave your child unattended at a park or store? I think society depends too much on technology and how it can advance their lives. Not everyone has a iPhone, BlackBerry or smart phone. Those commercials show that there's an app for everything but as soon as technology slows down, crime will catch up just as fast.
I'm sure crime is already past this. There are websites for that sort of thing too. I think it's more of a "we can take any website and turn it into an app to make money" idea than anything actually productive for the general population.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I just saw a commercial advertising the iPhone and how there's an application for this and that, basically everything.
ReplyDeletePeople are way too dependent on technology, and these phone companies are taking full advantage of this and making a fortune. However, they are contributing to the dumbing down of the American people. Although it seems as long as you make money, its o.k. to do anything, for every action, there is a concequence.
ReplyDeleteMoney is what makes the world turn and as long as there is a market for something, you can bet companies will be battling to come out on top.
ReplyDeleteBut, do we balme the money-hungry corporations and phone companies, or should we look closer to home? I'm not going to lie- I love the apps on my phone...
And while I don't have this one, I think identifying sex offenders is crucial! Especially if you are a young female living alone whom takes quite a few night classes!
Idea for a campus issue story: How many sex offenders live within walking distance of downtown campus? Near dorms?
ReplyDeleteGreat topic, Karen, and good discussion.