Disturbing Tech Startup Seeks to Track Gun Owners

[dchem]

I read Quora frequently and came across this :

2014-08-01-QuoraComment1.jpg

Anonymous
A bit more on the software. The ability to track and record where shots are fired is already done. The challenge is how to assign this to who made the shot. Our concept today is to create hundreds of iPhone and Android apps that look like they are for preppers, target recording, Duck Dynasty fans, etc. but really are used to pinpoint the cell phone that was in the vicinity. If the apps is running in the background, it is a beacon for our software.

Another commenter pointed out that this sounds like a spyware and it's sneaky. To that, the OP responds:

It's not spyware. The terms and conditions will clearly state what the purpose of the software is and why we are doing this. We're creating a firearms registration database, who uses weapons, not who owns them.

[manywelps]

This would violate google and apple's TOS. I would not be concerned.

If it actually by some act of god gets on either store, we can just report it and it will be taken down.

As we say in engineering, ideas are a dime a dozen. Implementation is the difficult part.

[dchem]

Yeah, I hope I'm wrong and it's just another FUD.

[rootuser]

It is FUD most likely. There are a lot of challenges with that kind of software, not to mention, the author uses buzz words and obviously doesn't understand WTF he/she is talking about.

[furyous68]

Doesn't the military already have this. Something that triangulates where a round was fired from. I think it was developed to help track down enemy snipers.

[manywelps]

Doesn't the military already have this. Something that triangulates where a round was fired from. I think it was developed to help track down enemy snipers.

It's a special device that detects the direction of a shot.

It's not even tangentially related to this thing. They're about as similar to each other as they are to a shot timer.

[LateBraking]

Basically they're saying that the "not hidden" (because they bury it inside the ToS) portion of the disguised app (they will make it pro-gun or a game like duck dynasty) will be running so long as you don't manually close the app. The app will record any noise similar to if not actually a gunshot, note the phone that it originated from, then upload the information to create a "firearms user registration database."

Liberals sure are getting crazy.

[GoZoner]

I'll populate the database tomorrow if they ask. Let's see... gun ranges, DC, Chicago, Detroit, ... Done. At $250/hr, they owe me $0.25.

[ElvenSoul]

So who here shoots around their house?

[CSACANNONEER]

So who here shoots around their house?

I shoot and hunt at home. I'm not an ap junkie though. Why do you ask?

Edit: I do use a prepaid phone without any contract or anything else that would identify it as mine or link it to my address.

[LateBraking]

They said they are pinpointing the cell phone. I think what they are trying to say is that they are tracking and recording the cell phone and by association the owner of said cell phone. But it's all ok because you agreed to it in some buried clause inside some extremely long ToS, and the application itself is completely misrepresenting itself as something else.

I don't particularly care if it's legal or not, if it's against Apple's ToS or not...I care more about the lengths these desperate freaks are willing to go to. And they sit on their side of the debate and say that we're the crazy or scary or dangerous ones.

[mavericksun]

In android just turn on developer mode on your phone and change the GPS information in the developer mode and play gun sounds. Then you can make a lot of shotgun sounds appear for Biden's home, AR-15 sounds for the Clinton home, and AK 47 sounds for the White House. Their database could be screw up in so many ways.

[Dutch3]

This would violate google and apple's TOS. I would not be concerned.

Seriously. If this were to become viable, how long do you think it would take before Google owns it?

Google wants to know everything about everything and everyone. It is what they do.

If you don't know what Google is by now, you need to step back and take a good, hard look.

[IVC]

It's much more disturbing how the author characterizes people who shoot than any technical merit the app might have.

Note that "prepper" or "Duck Dynasty fan" is sufficient qualification to assume someone is guilty of a murder if they happen to be in the vicinity.

That pretty much sums up what's wrong with the anti-gun mindset.

[CrazyPhuD]

So let me say this....110% this idea was proposed by a non-technical non-engineer. Period. They have likely negative grasp of the technical limits of the devices they talk about. Not the least of which is that 'loudness' measure of each phone will be different because it's all realtive plus many of the mics have specific hardware built in to damp out background noises etc.

But the #1 issue why you shouldn't worry about this. At best this will list every single movie theater as a 'gun range' and find the people who like action movies as 'gun owners'.

Any information gain from this will be small plus the technical challenges are large. Additionally this would likely be highly illegal in CA and would subject the user of the app to criminal prosecution. Why? In CA and many other states laws exist requiring consent of at least information when sound or video recording takes place. By having this app recording sound continuously in the background it's likely in violation of those statutes. While the owner of the phone may have given consent when they installed the app, every single other person they come in contact with did not.