I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. - Thomas Jefferson

Protecting Children From Aliens

by Hal_10000

Good grief:

A national children’s advocacy group is pushing to get Pittsburgh removed from the Street View of Google’s map search until the technology is refined so pedophiles can’t use it to pinpoint children’s homes, schools and playgrounds.

Street View, an addition to Google Maps that uses vehicle cameras to take 360-degree, street-level views of neighborhoods, allows users to virtually cruise down a street and across a city. In the process, the tool shows pictures of children, toys and family cars that could tip a would-be predator to an area where children could be found and potentially victimized, according to the group, Stop Internet Predators.

First of all, a pedophile doesn’t need Google anything to find schools, homes and playgrounds.  We have these things on our heads called “eyes”.  And we can use these “eyes” to see a school, park or home when he we drive or walk past it.  I know where every school and park in my home town is located.  The most I’ve used Google Maps for is to look at my own house to make sure the readers of this blog aren’t burning me in effigy on the front lawn.

The tool, which debuted last October, has not been used in any crimes against children, according to Ms. Rumenap. But her group wants to prevent any such use by persuading municipal leaders to get it removed until it can be used without displaying images identifying where children live, study and play.

I hate this crap.  I hate this version of protecting children.  The process works like so:

1) Read about some new technology.

2) Develop a paranoid delusional fantasy about what the mythical Evil Internet Pedophile, who constantly searches all web pages for children to attack, might do with it.

3) Demand action.

Never mind that the vast majority of attacks on children are by people they already know.  Never mind that even the rare pedophile who attacks strangers does so by physically stalking them.  This paranoia about the internets is all that matters.

I’m curious if anyone has an actual verified news story of a pedophile finding his victim through web page pictures or Google Maps or anything on the internet.  I am highly skeptical that such a thing has ever happened.

Again, remember the opportunity cost.  The resources and time being diverted to protect children from this chimera could be protecting them from from more realistic dangers—like car accidents and drownings and poisonings.

Comments

Posted by Ed Kline on 10/13/08 at 11:04 AM from

I love streetview. I lived all over this country and can go back and look around with the click of a button.

Posted by on 10/13/08 at 11:34 AM from

I love streetview. I lived all over this country and can go back and look around with the click of a button.

Well that OBVIOUSLY just proves that you’re a pedophile and you’re using the interweb to stalk children!

</looney>

Posted by Ed Kline on 10/13/08 at 11:43 AM from

Well that OBVIOUSLY just proves that you’re a pedophile and you’re using the interweb to stalk children!

Actually I spend most of my time looking for meandering farm animals...to each his own.

Posted by on 10/13/08 at 02:43 PM from

I use it to find out who’s not home, so I can rob their house.

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