Obama campaign app concerns some privacy advocates

[alp227]

Source: Washington Post

President Obama’s reelection team has taken canvassing to the next technological level, introducing a free iPhone app that maps the location of nearby Democrats, identifying them by first name, last initial and home address.

It also offers a script for volunteers to follow with potential voters and tells how to elicit information about whether they are likely to vote for Obama and whether they would be willing to volunteer for the effort.

The free app, introduced last week, has drawn the ire of some privacy advocates, who note that anyone — not just legitimate campaign volunteers — can download it. The information is publicly available elsewhere, privacy advocate Shaun Dakin said, but the easy access of the app is still a little creepy.

“It doesn’t make it right just because it’s legal,” Dakin said. “Anybody can get this. There’s no way to prevent anyone from downloading this.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/obama-campaign-app-concerns-some-privacy-advocates/2012/08/07/548ed7f2-e0b6-11e1-8fc5-a7dcf1fc161d_story.html

[dballance]

1. Oh please

If you are online and have a Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter account there is nothing private in your life anymore.

If you think you can remain private in this new digital society you are severely deluded.

[gejohnston]

2. not deluded, if you

don't put that much out there. I don't.

[w4rma]

3. This is public information. Only made more accessible by regular folks. (nt)

[davidpdx]

4. A Facebook friend posted about this the other day and I asked about it on DU

No one seemed to have a clue what it was. I was looking for something to debunk the story, especially given it was from Fox News.

[Robb]

5. The new app is just like the laptop program they had in 2008, and Shaun Dakin hated it then, too.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/12/AR2008091202658.html

While John McCain and Barack Obama have plenty to fight about, there is at least one thing that they agree on: Voters who interact with their campaigns have no privacy rights....

(snip)

... This week, I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign that had the subject line: "Your Neighbors." Intrigued, I opened the message and learned that the campaign was launching a sophisticated program called "Neighbor-to-Neighbor" that makes "it easier than ever to connect with potential supporters in your community by phone or door-to-door." It continues: "Neighbor-to-Neighbor gives you the option to make phone calls or knock on doors -- the choice is yours."

The choice may be yours, but what about your neighbors, who may not want you to bother them at their homes?

This new program is both tech-cool and privacy-rights-scary. When I clicked through to myBarackObama.com, I was able to create "walk lists" using a Google map showing me exactly where potential Obama supporters near me live. The Web site provided the names, addresses and phone numbers of these targeted neighbors and offered a prompt for printing out the list. The last step? Log back in and record the results of your "door-to-door" conversations with voters.....

Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/12/AR2008091202658.html