A new app called Who’s in Town gives your Instagram followers an interactive map of every place you’ve ever been since you created your profile (via Wired).
Who’s in Town
Who’s in Town uses information that is already public; Instagram users have to opt-in to sharing their location and geotags with followers. The longer you’ve been using Instagram and sharing your geotags, the more data the app can pull.
The app has two viewing modes: General and Single User. General shows you a map of all of the people you follow. Single User lets you hone into a single individual. According to the app’s creator, it’s mean to be creepy. It’s a way for people to learn just how much their data reveals.
People don’t realize what they’re sharing. They’re [operating under] the false assumption that this information is only going to a few people … but it’s public.
An Instagram spokesperson said the company is reviewing Who’s in Town to make sure it doesn’t violate its policies.
Further Reading:
[How to Enable Instagram Two-factor Authentication]
[How to Turn Off Instagram’s “Last Active” Tracking Feature]
What is WRONG with us? We’ve invited something worse than Orwell’s predictions in his book 1984. It’s likely already too late to fix it. Makes me wonder how many people ever read that book or know what “Big Brother” even means. Scary times unless you’re in denial. Already the growing tales of Alexa and similar products sending unwanted emails on your behalf without your asking it to just because it thought it “heard” you say something in the privacy of your home. Or documented reports of your computer’s camera watching you until the companies were reported and said they’d end it. . Not unfounded paranoia. Watch out folks.
What a splendid idea!
People who follow you on Instagram and the general public, most of whom are perfect strangers to you, knowing all the places you visit and hang out.
What could possibly go wrong?