Curiosity, Privacy, and Your Phone
What if you are never alone — but you are very predictable?
What if there was something — nonhuman — that always knew where you were? Sure your phone is cool and helpful, but what if it’s also kind of creepy? Use your curiosity about privacy, technology, and your phone to learn about the price of convenience and learn how to make more informed decisions using Curiosity-Based Thinking with this activity from a chapter in The Book of What If…? called, “What if Your Phone Always Knew Where You Were?
What if Your Phone Always Knew Where You Were?
In some ways, this could be (and is!) really neat. You can have alerts that only come up based on your geolocation (geo — “world,” geolocation — “world location”). If one of your favorite bands was playing a show in your town, your phone could say, “Hey! You! Go to this!” Or your local ice cream shop could offer a deal to whoever was within a few blocks of it.
In other words, this can be (and is!) really terrible. Everything except for the physical laws that govern the universe can be hacked. That means a hacker, government, company, parent, brother, or sister could access what you’re doing and where you’re doing it.
