Engineer: GPS Shoes Make People Findable

[Moloch]

MIAMI (AP) - Isaac Daniel calls the tiny Global Positioning System chip he's embedded into a line of sneakers "peace of mind." He wishes his 8-year-old son had been wearing them when he got a call from his school in 2002 saying the boy was missing. The worried father hopped a flight to Atlanta from New York where he had been on business to find the incident had been a miscommunication and his son was safe.

Days later, the engineer started working on a prototype of Quantum Satellite Technology, a line of $325 to $350 adult sneakers that hit shelves next month. It promises to locate the wearer anywhere in the world with the press of a button. A children's line will be out this summer.

"We call it a second eye watching over you," Daniel said.

It's the latest implementation of satellite-based navigation into everyday life - technology that can be found in everything from cell phones that help keep kids away from sexual predators to fitness watches that track heart rate and distance. Shoes aren't as easy to lose, unlike phones, watches and bracelets.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070209/D8N64ESG0.html

[notadmblnd]

1. but you have to wonder.. how many old people that wander out

at night confused, put their shoes on before doing it?

[Dean Martin]

2. Of course for now, only rich kids will be trackable

[LiberalFighter]

3. Yes... most people will be able to shell out that type of money

for all of their kids. It is better to starve their children then to let their children go without expensive gps shoes.

[The2ndWheel]

4. We'll just be more clever than Britain

Why not do the surveillance society better?

"We call it a second eye watching over you,"

Used to be called God.

"peace of mind."

Yeah, that can happen. Once we create a completely artificial world where your location and thoughts(that could never happen) are known at all times, no more need to worry. At least we'll have no need for pills anymore.

[Canuckistanian]

5. And who gets access to this tracking data?

Can it be obtained with a warrant? Without one?

[PLF]

6. Eventually, in the name of safety, they will make it mandatory

Those people who think Rick Perry's mandate regarding that vaccine is just dandy won't have a problem with mandatory GPS tracking either.

[kestrel91316]

14. Stop perpetuating the myth of FORCED vaccination. The TX law

re HPV vaccination does not FORCE ANYONE to get the vaccine. It just forces insurance companies to cover it, and health departments to provide it.

Maybe where you come from you have a problem with this..........

Welcome to DU. Have a nice stay.

[fed-up]

7. and how hard is it for a kidnapper to take off a pair of shoes??? n/t

[The2ndWheel]

8. That's the next problem we'll fix

Before the doctor slaps the baby on the butt after birth, they'll shove a chip in there somewhere. Peace of mind.

[Demeter]

9. The Shoes May Be Findable

Anything else is up to chance.

[NYC]

10. A second eye is watching over you.

Big Brother is watching you.

I see little difference.

[daleo]

11. The GPS locates the wearer

And a missile blows him up.

Handy for jealous types and rich stalkers too.

[Trillo]

12. Just a point of note, tinfoil time...

when technology like this exists and its combined with electronic methods of purchasing where authentication of the purchaser is used, and it's further combined with family and biometric data, it's possible for some entity or entities to install these chips in our clothes and track each of us without our consent.

[kestrel91316]

15. I want to open up a storefront degaussing service if that day ever

comes. But it might have to be a secret underground degaussing service.

[Ezlivin]

13. Calling Maxwell Smart!