Jun 27, 2007

distributed snitching: a new weapon in the arsenal

When I previously envisioned an "army of Big Brothers," I figured it would largely remain a hobby of bored slacker types with enough free time to watch other people's webcams.

Now, though, the folks at PostACrime.com have upped the ante. Combining the best in Google Maps technology and civic duty, with a slight tinge of vigilantism, the site collects photos and locations of unsolved crimes, with minimal oversight.

Users can "flag as inappropriate" any crime they fear is a fake, but I'd predict it's a matter of months before someone sues for having their mug shot posted bogusly.

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