By Liliana Segura, AlterNet. Posted September 24, 2009.
A hot new iPhone App uses GPS technology to track registered sex offenders everywhere. Are they keeping you safe, or profiting off paranoia?
For a few days this past August, one of the top ten most popular paid iPhone apps of the summer suddenly went missing.
The POM Offender Locator, a product of ThinAir Wireless, hit the scene on June 2, a nifty little way to keep track of registered sex offenders using GPS technology. ("POM" stands for "peace of mind.") The paid app, which cost 99 cents, provided the convenient capacity for "anyone living in the United States to view Registered Sex Offenders living in their area," according to its official description.
"Knowledge = Safety" it read, followed by the following sales pitch:
"They know where you and your family are … Now it's time to turn the tables so that you know where they live and can make better decisions about where to allow your kids to play."
Read on...
Is this bizarre? Anyone have this app on their iPhone? Tom
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