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Ask HN: Does our app make you feel uncomfortable?

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Ask HN: Does our app make you feel uncomfortable?

#1

Post by greynote »

Hi guys, I'm the creator of Greypad, a PDF reader that uses the front-facing camera to detect when other people are looking at your device and then blurs the contents of your screen when it does.

Greypad: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/greypad/id1450783054

We've received some great feedback from our individual customers (people who found us through the App Store), but a few users from our corporate clients have left us mixed feedback. Negative feedback primarily having to do with feeling uncomfortable using the app when the security mechanism is active.

I've tried to alleviate their concerns by reassuring them that all facial computation takes place within their device, and that they can test it themselves by turning off their wifi and data; but it seems that knowing that a camera is watching you is an inherently difficult mental hurdle to overcome for some people.

How do you guys feel? Would you use Greypad? Would you protest if your employer made it mandatory to use it when reading sensitive/confidential documents in public?

Re: Ask HN: Does our app make you feel uncomfortable?

#2

Post by gus_massa »

Have you tried adding an unnecessary assistant face, so it's clear that the computer is watching you?

I once had a conversation is Skype, where only I had a video camera. The effect of the asymmetry is weird and annoying.

A silly face that is watching over your shoulders (in the oposite direction) may make the situation more explicit and more easy to handle. Can you program the face to look over your shoulders instead of looking at your eyes? Watch for some time in one direction and later in the other directions, and play a nice animation when the AI finds someone.

Try first with a simple happy face, to minimize the work. Perhaps the final version must have a gender neutral robot face, so you don't have to allow the personalization of gender, skin color, facial hair, and whatever more users will ask.

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