Location Data

Downside of Fitness Trackers and Health Apps is Loss of Privacy

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Author: Victoria J. Palmer; Publisher: The Conversation; Publication Year: 2016. The following article starts off with a bold statement to capture the audience, saying the public have now become the study subjects and the collection tools. This article focuses heavily on the risks of health tracking through apps. As much as health apps can be an asset, if not handled properly sensitive data can easily be brought public. One example is…

Protecting Lives & Liberty: How Contact Tracing Apps Can Foil Both COVID-19 and Big Brother

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Author: Nicky Case; Publisher: ncase.me; Publication Year: N/A. The following resource considers how should we balance leveraging sensitive data to combat important social issues (e.g., COVID-19 contact tracing) while ensuring data privacy? One answer is the DP-3T protocol used to automatically trace contact between individuals using location-based data from mobile devices. However, even with a…

City Raises Concerns About ShotSpotter Gunshot Detection Technology

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Author: Alex Zielinksi; Publisher: Portland Mercury; Publication Date: 2022. The following article discusses ShotSpotter, a technology implemented by cities that uses microphones placed on streetlights, telephone poles, or other tall structures to collect audio data. This data is then used to detect sounds like a gunshot. When that sound is registered by the microphone, ShotSpotter will send…