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OT - Big Brother Is Watching

Aniki-Moderator's picture

I was at the store last night, eavesdropping on a conversation two women were having. Woman #1 was talking about how she uses a cell phone app to track where her children are at all times. Woman #2 was interested in the app so she could track her HUSBAND as she suspects he is cheating on her.

Which got me to thinking about the novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984). There are tracking devices on cell phones. There are tracking devices on cars. If you google something on the internet, you start seeing ads all over your computer. Stores, workplaces, and homes have cameras as a security measure that track the comings and goings of everyone. Cities have street cameras that can track someone's movements across the entire city. Pets can be micro-chipped. When will they start micro-chipping humans? Or has this already been done?

So... has anyone use that phone app to track your kids/skids/spouse? Do you have your pet(s) micro-chipped? Do you feel like society is closing in on 1984 life? Will Minority Report be next (pre-crime)? Just curious...

Comments

nengooseus's picture

My DH is neurotic about knowing where DD and I are at all times. Something based in his very screwed up childhood...

The first few times that he tracked my iPhone, I felt a little weird about it, but really, I have nothing to hide from him and don't mind him knowing where I am at all times, so if he wants to track the phone, I'm OK with it. I like being able to track DD, too, so I have no moral high ground to object, even if I wanted to.

That said, I abhor the idea of being tracked by anyone else!

BM was sending SD's cell phone with her to our house for a little while, and the thought of her tracking us made me insane. When SD couldn't be civil about the cell phone (she told us BM said it was *her* property, so *we* couldn't take it for discipline), it went directly back to her mother. We did the same with the FitBits and all the other crap she sends at this point.

I do worry a little about pre-crime and the thought police, perhaps more than anything, but I'm not sure there's anything we can do now to stop our progression in that direction, either. The whole world has gotten so darned sensitive that I mostly just want to keep my head down and pretend like the rest of the world isn't there.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

If the thought police were real, I'd've been in jail loooooooooooong ago!!

Like you, I have nothing to hide in regards to my whereabouts. But the knowledge that, some day, every bathroom trip I make at work will be recorded is a bit nerve-racking. WTH, "they" are probably already recording this and know if it's #1 or #2 based on how long I'm in there. Next, they'll be blocking cell phone use in work restrooms. LOL!!

nengooseus's picture

LOL, we were just talking about banning cell phones in bathrooms at work this week!

ESMOD's picture

"If the thought police were real, I'd've been in jail loooooooooooong ago!"

We would be cell mates sister!

I will be honest, I am probably a bit more of the paranoid conspiracy theory thinker.

I actually have a small piece of post it note over the camera on my work laptop!

ESMOD's picture

They are already micro-chipping humans. A few companies have implants that workers can use to open doors..buy snacks at the cafeteria etc... They say it's voluntary... for now.

I don't have my animals microchipped. I hate the fact that virtually every move of ours seems to be tracked.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Crikey, ESMOD!!

Although I assume that at some point in the future, there will be no choice. It might be handy to place your thumb on a pad and pay for your purchases (no more selling food stamps or anything of that sort), but to have my whereabouts tracked 365/24/7? Plah!!!

GhostWhoCooksDinner's picture

That's freaking horrifying! Just watch- pretty soon, all babies will be mandatorily (is that a word?) microchipped at birth before they leave the hospital. :jawdrop:

momjeans's picture

I have not used any apps, but a friend of mine installed a program that recorded keystrokes on a device of her former husband's. It was horrifying the things he was searching and watching. Even more so, because the husband was a cop. He should have known better, that it was illegal.

I've read Orwell's 1984. I'm also a huge Philip K Dick fan. Big Brother thoughts are always at the forefront of my mind. Not in a paranoid way, just a "whoa technology!" way.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

I used a keystroke app and found out my now-ex was a member of several dating web sites - including one where you hooked up solely for sex. :sick:

Tuff Noogies's picture

we have a locator for the boys' phones but it's never been an issue honestly. i wouldn't give a rat's @$$ if dh tracked me or always knew my exact location, but the lack of trust would seriously haunt me. as it is, i'm either at home or at work, where he can call me directly on a land-line lol!

Aniki-Moderator's picture

I can understand why people would want it for their kids. But with spouses/partners? Yep, trust issue indeed!

DaizyDuke's picture

I will DEFINITELY be tracking/stalking/psychopathmothering... whatever you want to call it my BS7. when he gets a phone, I will have access to it whenever I please and I will have an app to track his whereabouts. When he starts driving I will have that Verizon Hum (or whatever is around by then) put on the car. I feel that is my job as a parent to be informed as to what he is doing, and where he is going. I tried to get DH on board with monitoring SS and SD more, but he had no interest. And look how they turned out.......things that make you go hmmmmmm.

I don't think I would ever track DH, if I truly distrusted him that much, then we have much bigger problems than tracking keystrokes and whereabouts. I could care less if DH wanted to track me, I have nothing to hide.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

It's scary to have a child these days. If I had one, I'd want to track them because I'd be scared they were snatched.

ESMOD's picture

In theory, I wouldn't care if my DH knew where I was because usually it's with HIM.. or at WORK..lol. But, there is some small resistor in me that wouldn't really want him to be tracking me in any way. I mean, I don't want him to tease me about going to Marshalls or Kohls on my lunch hour. It's not that it's a secret, but who wants to have to answer to someone about 100% of their time?

I guess I am a bit more sensitive since I did date an ex who turned abusive and it started with questions like "what took you so long to get home today? Where were you? Who did you eat lunch with today? What is that number on your phone?"

hereiam's picture

I met a guy once who had to take pictures of traffic to prove to his wife why he was late to work (he had to call her when he arrived every morning). Why would anyone want to be with someone like that?

ESMOD's picture

I remember I knew a guy who's wife was like that. One day, they were watching TV and he got up to go to the bathroom. She asked him where he was going.. and he said he pretty much lost it on her... screamed something about taking a crap..lol.

secret's picture

lol.... SO and I ask each other that kind of stuff... if we're watching a movie, and I randomly get up and walk away... he might ask where I'm going, do I want him to pause it... and I answer him...getting a drink, do you want one? whatever... but I don't usually just get up and walk away, usually I'll just offer up the information. Same with him.

Neither of us do it out of control... it's just courtesy. I wouldn't walk away from a first date without excusing myself... it's improper manners to do so... why would I give the person I'm supposed to love anything less when we're doing something "together", like watching tv?

And no, we don't do this if we're both doing our own thing. If I'm washing the dishes and he's sorting the mail... he can walk away without providing some clue as to the interruption to his heart's content... lol

Same with being late... we have a routine. When it's off routine, information is exchanged. Busy day? Lots of traffic? Accident? had to stay late? We just consider it exchanges... it's not out of control, insecurity or anything like that. Falls in line with "How was your day?", at least for us.

If it was to ever be negative, though...that would be different. It's a fine line, I suppose... comfort and perception on the meaning of such questions is subjective, I guess...

I never understood the nasty look with "You're late." Yeah, no kidding. How about before getting all ticked off and giving me attitude, you ask me how my day was? Then I might tell you I had a bad day...that on the way home there was an accident... we can commiserate together about hating traffic... I can ask you about your day... we can maybe progress towards eating dinner together while we talk.... then I'll help with dishes and we can relax, enjoying our evening....

but no, instead, get all mad that you "didn't know" I was going to be late. This affected you how, exactly? Were you waiting on me to do something I had no idea about? Did you just want to know where I was? You're mad because you didn't know I'd be 10 minutes late and now you're not going to talk to me the rest of the evening?

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Too bad he didn't create new ways to tell her he was taking a crap. For everything he did. "Goin' to pinch a loaf, hon."

Aniki-Moderator's picture

ESMOD, I was MARRIED to an abuser. Had cell phones been available at that time (as well as tracking), he would definitely have had it on mine. Most likely had me micro-chipped, too.

Gunner's picture

I chipped my wifes rat, eeerrrr I mean dog. If he gets lost we can hopefully get him back. I would never allow myself to be chipped. There are to many things that can go wrong with that starting with your immune system fighting a foreign object to the government overstepping.

ESMOD's picture

We were broken into and robbed by three guys. One of whom was wearing a monitoring ankle bracelet. Obviously they don't have people watching those things in live time. But they did have his electronic signature going in and out of our property that day!

For certain crimes like a sex offender, I don't think I would have a problem with it. I figure you are guilty of that crime, you have made the decision to give up some of your right to privacy because public safety trumps that.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Good grief!!

Some of those sex offenders and predators are horribly creepy and NEVER stop. ~shudder~

hereiam's picture

Chipping repeat offenders. Thoughts?

My thought is that my SD's BF would be in trouble! Oh, wait, they know where he is, he's in jail at this very moment.

Willow2010's picture

There is no way on Gods green earth that I would allow myself to be chipped. No-nope-not gonna happen.

agitated's picture

My dog is micro-chipped, but she had that when we rescued her from the shelter. I probably wouldn't have gotten it on my own. We do not track our kids, yet. In our opinion, we have no reason to, yet! We have given our children our trust and if they break that trust, then we will think about alternative methods of keeping track of where they are. Right now, if they tell us they are going to the mall, we believe them. Smile

JustAgirl42's picture

Wouldn't a person know if you put a tracking app or key-logger on their device? Especially someone who is very computer literate?

Aniki-Moderator's picture

I don't know about tracking apps. A key-logger can be virtually undetectable, depending on what is use and/or how it is installed.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

~snorty~

WalkOnBy's picture

As I am sure you all remember, we had a key-logger on ASS's computer as well as the other two skids'.

None of them ever figured it out. Yeah - my hubby is a computer engineer by education }:)

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Me-WOW. Dirol

StepUltimate's picture

We've been using AT&T Family Map app, $10/month. Doesn't work if SS17's phone is dead or if he turns Location (GPS) off though. He's supposed go keep Location on & phone charged. It has been imperfect but extremely useful nonetheless. I've busted SS17 cutting school to get high in a nearby lark thanks to this app, so I'm positive the school-cutting was stopped because of that... nothing like SM killing your morning buzz!

I'm also able to see who & when he calls & texts thru other (free) AT&T app, My AT&T. This was very useful in court, as I was able to download call/text logs into Excel, and attach to court docs as exhibits. Of course, before I did that I re-named BM's # "nickname" from what it was (read: not a nice nickname!) to Bio-Mom so the judge wouldn't get irritated at DH.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

I imagine all phones will eventually have an internal tracking device that canNOT be turned off. Even if the phone is off. Dirol

secret's picture

They do.

It's called GPS. That sucker knows where the phone is at all times, whether it's off or not.

According to my military friend, anyway.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Not ALL phones have that. I know a number of people who are using OLD Trac phones.

secret's picture

lol... I meant there's already a device that does that, it's in all the newer phones. Obviously if the phone is old, it won't be in it... haha

SO uses an old flip phone. He also has a small bandaid on the webcam of his laptop.....aaaannnnnddddd a small bandaid on the button eye-thing on my smart tv.

He also doesn't carry a debit card nor a credit card... he deposits his cheque each week at the bank, takes out cash... he thinks "the big guys" can track him using his cards. Ok so they kind of can, just based on purchase history...lol.. but he's a bit overboard with his off-the-grid mentality sometimes.

Whatever. Doesn't affect me in any way. Go ahead, honey.

Livingoutloud's picture

My dh is afraid of using credit or debt card at gas stations. He thinks his info will be stolen at the pump. So he goes inside every time. Ridiculous

ESMOD's picture

I actually read somewhere that that is actually a smart thing to do. At the very least, don't use a debit card. Because if they get into your debit card... they have YOUR money. It's harder to get that back than it is to dispute a Credit Card charge.. there are more protections there.

I still use my credit cards at the pump though.

secret's picture

There was/is a scam going around at some stores where they allow cash withdrawal... they add a 20$ to your receipt... if you check it and catch it, they'll claim ops error and redo it... if not, well they have a friend in line they'll give the 20$ to if you don't catch it...

can't remember where I read it... but I always check my receipts. I generally use cash too, but it's more of a budget thing than a tracking thing.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Oh, EFF. :jawdrop:

Livingoutloud's picture

I rarely use cash because I think if I am being scammed or robbed I can getctedug charges disputed but cash is gone