We're one step closer to Big Brother with the latest tool from AT&T.
As the name suggests, the FamilyMap allows users to instantly find out the locations of their family members using satellite images and interactive street maps.
Parents can even schedule routine checks on their children's whereabouts, so they can know whether the kid decided to play hookey. "In another scenario, parents of a teenager who drives could use the tool to check on their child's location instead of calling or texting the teen, which might present a distraction while the teen is on the road," a press release says.
Privacy? FamilyMap allows the primary account holder -- but not secondary users, apparently -- to control preferences. Everyone gets a text message when the tool is first activated, as well as periodic reminders that they're being followed, but there are also optional alerts that can accompany every location ping. An option to let users decide whether to beam back their location is also included (imagine the hell to pay when a teenager declines to say where he or she is).
All postpaid phones will be able to use FamilyMap at a price of $10 per month for two phones or $15 per month for up to five phones. As a means of making sure your kid isn't in a gutter somewhere, I see the practicality, but it's freaky nonetheless. Glad I'm grown up.
