So, here is a break down of this guys story for those of you who would rather not go to the link below.
http://thisguyhasmymacbook.tumblr.com/
His MacBook was stolen from his apartment. So he reported the crime to the police and even told them where it was, but they couldn’t help him due to lack of resources. So he took things into his own hands and used an app that he installed on his computer called Hidden to capture these photos of the guy who stole his MacBook.
[ Break down of what Hidden and other such apps do]
Well the name kinda gives you an idea of what the app is all about. You install the application on your phone or laptop and the idea behind it is, if you phone or laptop is ever stolen you can actually track it and pinpoint where it is or who has it. When you activate tracking, Hidden will locate your stolen computer anywhere on the planet, collect photos of the thief and screen shots of the computer in use.
So for persons who have a built in camera on their laptop, Hidden will collect pictures of the thief and their surroundings using the built in camera. If you dont have a web cam, the software can also look at the screen on your laptop and you can see what the thief is doing. You can watch them log into their facebook, email account etc. Kinda cool right.
So, this dude, couldn’t get the attention of the police and activated Hidden tracking and got to see the guy who stole his laptop.
So from his webcam, he took pictures of the unsuspecting thief sleeping on a couch next to his MacBook ( with his hands between his crotch, hahah), in bed with the laptop, signing into his Google account, even driving with his macbook.
So in the end, he was arrested.
Now, its kinda cool that there is such software out there. But it got me thinking also.
Since we can track people who steal our laptop, doesnt that mean that other people can also track us.
What if the companies we buy our laptop from and cell phones actually have been watching us all along. Watching us when we are dressing, like the guy who was sleeping on the couch with his hands between his legs.
Kinda creeps me out. How do we know that we arent being watched. Or what if you friend decides to play a bad joke on you and installs the program on your pc and is watching your every move..
Scary!
So, think my webcam will be unplugged from now on. Maybe im a bit paranoid, but think I would rather not have my pic on the net like the guy who stole the mac book. Just saying!
