The Vigilante Manifesto

Post by SEJeff » Wed, Oct 26, 2016, 8:12 PM UTC

messel wrote: post #11

incongruity wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Additionally, the focus on murder rates is flawed for a few reasons: 1) Murders are not evenly distributed in most (all?) cities. In Chicago, for example, violence is heavily concentrated in certain areas. That means it's not a generalized problem yet this app doesn't address that clustering in a meaningful way. 2) Murders are not the crime that most people will feel comfortable intervening in – and, arguably, not on…

I consider this app as an extension of my senses. I get a push message when an emergency is happening nearby. Maybe I can help, maybe its none of my business, maybe I'll completely avoid that block. But I get a choice, where my earlier ignorance is no choice at all. It's the technological equivalent of someone shouting for help. You can assist or not. Disclaimer: I helped build the backend so I'm biased.

Out of curiosity, what is the tech stack behind this application? I can see some interesting problems wrt real time push notifications and a streaming data pipeline potentially.

Post by EdHominem » Wed, Oct 26, 2016, 9:23 PM UTC

jamesfe wrote: post #39

Are there a lot of people who have the time and flexibility of schedules to go chasing down 911 calls in their neighborhood? I'm not heartless, I certainly open the front door and take a gander if I hear my dog barking or a loud noise out front, but beyond that, I'm not sure I'd just leave my family in the house with no plan other than to videotape what could be a violent criminal in the heat of the moment. Also, wha…

> What about when someone calls in a sexual assault - are there protections for their privacy?

How do you think the company gets the 911 calls? You should focus your privacy concerns upstream.

> I'm not sure I'd just leave my family in the house with no plan other than to videotape what could be a violent criminal in the heat of the moment.

Right, but so what? Someone else might, or might be able to from their window. And if not, you weren't going to anyways.

> Also, what relationship does this company have with a user once that user gets shot in the chest

What relationship does Google have to a movie-viewer who doesn't like the movies playing in the cinema that they asked Maps to direct them to?

> for running around and videotaping an armed robbery with their flashlight beaconing their position and activity to the criminal?

You can choose to move away from the alerts, you know... The app doesn't compel you, it only informs you.

I can see many non-violent but interventionary tactics people could use. A pastor could use it, and respond to the 'Children harassing an old man' call the website uses as an example. Not immediately, as if they could stop any ongoing violence, but later to try to find the perpetrators and reach out to them.

Re: The Vigilante Manifesto

Re: The Vigilante Manifesto