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A family tracking app was leaking real-time location data

techcrunch.com

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Re: A family tracking app was leaking real-time location data

#21

Post by Geimfari »

ryandvm wrote: post #15
napolux wrote: post #2

Are this kind of apps really a thing?

I'm curious about the demographics of someone that would ask such a question (in such a manner). I suspect you do not have children, or at least not teenage ones. I recall that I used to hold much stronger (and different) opinions about child-rearing _before_ I had children of my own. I constantly struggle with balance between keeping my children safe and allowing them agency and the development of personal responsib…

I just fail to see what exactly tracking teenagers would be keeping them "safe" from. It seems like it wouldn't result in anything but resentment and sneaky behaviour.

Re: A family tracking app was leaking real-time location data

#22

Post by julien_c »

macintux wrote: post #18
cyberfart wrote: post #17

> We contacted one app user at random who, albeit surprised and startled by the findings, confirmed to TechCrunch that the coordinates found under their record were accurate. So they accessed the database as well as personal information of users? Is this not a crime whether or not the database was unprotected?

In the eyes of the law (or at least the courts), journalists have broader latitude in the course of investigative reporting.

Are Techcrunch writers journalists?

Re: A family tracking app was leaking real-time location data

#23

Post by pavel_lishin »

anbop wrote: post #20
willio58 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. They are terrible. My mother uses it on my teenage brother so much that he actually leaves his phone places so she thinks he’s somewhere he isn’t. So in wanting to keep your child safe by checking these apps often, you can make them _less_ safe and more dishonest.

That gives him the different benefit of experiencing life as a teenager without a phone.

Not much of a benefit if he's the only person in his friends' group without one.

Re: A family tracking app was leaking real-time location data

#24

Post by pavel_lishin »

ryandvm wrote: post #15
napolux wrote: post #2

Are this kind of apps really a thing?

I'm curious about the demographics of someone that would ask such a question (in such a manner). I suspect you do not have children, or at least not teenage ones. I recall that I used to hold much stronger (and different) opinions about child-rearing _before_ I had children of my own. I constantly struggle with balance between keeping my children safe and allowing them agency and the development of personal responsib…

Now that you do have kids, do you use such an app? Do you plan to?

(I'm a father of a 3 year old; I'll likely use _something_ like this when she's old enough to go to the store around the corner and back by herself, but will likely stop once she's old enough to take the subway by herself.)

Re: A family tracking app was leaking real-time location data

#25

Post by dylan604 »

ryandvm wrote: post #15
napolux wrote: post #2

Are this kind of apps really a thing?

I'm curious about the demographics of someone that would ask such a question (in such a manner). I suspect you do not have children, or at least not teenage ones. I recall that I used to hold much stronger (and different) opinions about child-rearing _before_ I had children of my own. I constantly struggle with balance between keeping my children safe and allowing them agency and the development of personal responsib…

Think of it this way, what did parents do before these kinds of things were available? Humans are still in existence, so teenagers were able to survive without this level af parental tracking. I think this level of parental overwatch says more about the parent’s insecurities than anything. You know what you were up to as a teenager. That’s probably what your teenager is doing. Did anything you do deserve big brother level tracking?

Re: A family tracking app was leaking real-time location data

#27

Post by pragmacoders »

ryandvm wrote: post #15
napolux wrote: post #2

Are this kind of apps really a thing?

I'm curious about the demographics of someone that would ask such a question (in such a manner). I suspect you do not have children, or at least not teenage ones. I recall that I used to hold much stronger (and different) opinions about child-rearing _before_ I had children of my own. I constantly struggle with balance between keeping my children safe and allowing them agency and the development of personal responsib…

Every generation throws off the ideals of the generation that came before.

Parents monitor their kids for a combination of:

1. Worry about the outside world. Justified - but monitoring location doesn't make it any less likely that they'll get hurt.

2. Worry about their child doing something they consider dumb. Again - justified. They will absolutely do something you consider dumb. But monitoring your child won't make then agree with you and won't stop them from doing something you don't like. The tighter the grip, the more they'll fight and the more they'll resent you for making them fight.

Parents like to think that this resentment will go away when the child is older. It doesn't. Many of you probably resent something your parents did when you were younger. But it does become less intense with distance - like everything else.

Anywho - Monitoring teenagers doesn't actually help anything. Monitoring younger children might make you feel more safe, though.

Re: A family tracking app was leaking real-time location data

#28

Post by okmokmz »

>TechCrunch spent a week trying to contact the developer, React Apps, to no avail. The company’s website had no contact information — nor did its bare-bones privacy policy. The website had a privacy-enabled hidden WHOIS record, masking the owner’s email address. We even bought the company’s business records from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission, only to learn the company owner’s name — Sandip Mann Singh — but no contact information. We sent several messages through the company’s feedback form, but received no acknowledgement.

And people trust this with the real time location data of their children so they can keep them "safe". Absolutely ridiculous

Re: A family tracking app was leaking real-time location data

#29

Post by symlock »

apayan wrote: post #26

Shameless plug: I've built a family location sharing app that uses end-to-end encryption, so you don't have to worry about this sort of data leak (or any other). It's available for iOS and Android. (It's in beta, but quite functional). https://www.zood.xyz

Very Interested, but what markers are there for me to trust you/your company? Is it Open Source? Have you been around for long? Are you audited? Is there a sustainable business model?

The https://www.zood.xyz/products/location#about-zood-location page doesn't really say anything other than you promise you are doing what you say (and you probably are).

Re: A family tracking app was leaking real-time location data

#30

Post by cyberfart »

macintux wrote: post #18
cyberfart wrote: post #17

> We contacted one app user at random who, albeit surprised and startled by the findings, confirmed to TechCrunch that the coordinates found under their record were accurate. So they accessed the database as well as personal information of users? Is this not a crime whether or not the database was unprotected?

In the eyes of the law (or at least the courts), journalists have broader latitude in the course of investigative reporting.

Yes but until that's decided in court, is this not confessing to a crime?
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