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One of the interesting side effects of this is what happens after the pandemic is over but the technology is still implemented. What other things could be worth

One of the interesting side effects of this is what happens after the pandemic is over but the technology is still implemented. What other things could be worth tracking? I once did a hackathon where we used ShotSpotter to generate an array of house addresses that should be prioritized after a shooting occurs. The idea was to connect students and parents who witnessed gun violence with community resources (i.e. not just the cops) that could provide guidance and therapy. This same protocol could be adapted to notify everyone "exposed" to the shooter's phone and provide those resources on the fly. One other semi-dystopian possibility is using the protocol to apprehend criminals. Most people would not accept real-time location tracking by the government, and so such functionality is out of the question (or at least not publicly available to the majority of citizens, local LEO included). However, what if the police could go to Apple and Google and ask them to "blacklist" your phone, so that everyone around you gets a notification with your description, alleged crime, and cash reward? Your phone becomes a walking WANTED poster. And of course, they'd start with AMBER alerts first, and maybe work their way down to trespassing and petty theft. Which is not to say that this world would be far worse off than it is now, but it will be different.

mikro2nd 6y ago
In the semi-dystopian scenario: Supposing I'd committed some crime likely to attract that level of tracking/response... How long do you think I'd actually walk around with that phone? Or would I be more likely to dump it/leave it in some random taxi? Going further, how many ways can we come up with to use this as a way of swatting someone else? nth-order consequences matter.
- nexuist 6y ago
  > How long do you think I'd actually walk around with that phone? Sure, you could also just turn the phone off completely. The problem is that you'll need a phone eventually, and buying a new one would be a no-no if the Feds are watching your bank account (which is more or less accepted practice at this point). Even if you manage to secretly get a new phone, all it takes is one person to report you to burn that one too. Having a cyber-warrant out for your arrest effectively bans you from owning any smartphone ever again.
  - mikro2nd 6y ago
    I'm more entertained by the notion of having the LE chase after some car performing a random-walk around the countryside... :)
orangepanda 6y ago
> what if the police could go to Apple and Google and ask them to "blacklist" your phone, so that everyone around you gets a notification with your description, alleged crime, and cash reward? Your phone becomes a walking WANTED poster. Now that would be a very white christmas. For this to work, the government would need to know which one is your phone, defeating the privacy purpose. This wouldnt be a problem for amber alerts - as family members would willingly provide it. However, my main concern is that this would lead to mob justice; you'd have a walking "hit me with a bat" poster.

mikro2nd 6y ago

In the semi-dystopian scenario: Supposing I'd committed some crime likely to attract that level of tracking/response... How long do you think I'd actually walk around with that phone? Or would I be more likely to dump it/leave it in some random taxi? Going further, how many ways can we come up with to use this as a way of swatting someone else? nth-order consequences matter.

nexuist 6y ago
> How long do you think I'd actually walk around with that phone? Sure, you could also just turn the phone off completely. The problem is that you'll need a phone eventually, and buying a new one would be a no-no if the Feds are watching your bank account (which is more or less accepted practice at this point). Even if you manage to secretly get a new phone, all it takes is one person to report you to burn that one too. Having a cyber-warrant out for your arrest effectively bans you from owning any smartphone ever again.
- mikro2nd 6y ago
  I'm more entertained by the notion of having the LE chase after some car performing a random-walk around the countryside... :)

orangepanda 6y ago

> what if the police could go to Apple and Google and ask them to "blacklist" your phone, so that everyone around you gets a notification with your description, alleged crime, and cash reward? Your phone becomes a walking WANTED poster. Now that would be a very white christmas. For this to work, the government would need to know which one is your phone, defeating the privacy purpose. This wouldnt be a problem for amber alerts - as family members would willingly provide it. However, my main concern is that this would lead to mob justice; you'd have a walking "hit me with a bat" poster.