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From JMurray53 Thu Apr 6 12:33:47 -0400 2006
From: JMurray53
Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2006 12:33:47 -0400
Subject: Response to Amsterdam Project
Message-ID: <20060406123347-0400@www.as.wvu.edu:8000>

1. What could we potentially gain from a project like the Amsterdam Project? 2. Who, besides the fathers of teenage daughters, would be interested in participating in a project involving tracking devices on human beings? 3. What are some better ways to use the GPS tracking devices than the ones proposed by the conductors of the Amsterdam Project?

Response to #3:

Whether or not you feel that attaching Global Positioning System devices to a human being is ethical, you have to admit that such a proposition is at least intriguing. The idea of using these tracking devices to create a more advanced map of the city is all well and good, but there are lots of other things you could with such devices. 

For example, if everyone agreed to wear the GPS devices it could prove to be a great crime deterrent. Sure, it would be an unbelievable invasion of privacy, but if a major crime was committed the perpetrator(s) would be behind bars in a matter of hours. It may sound extreme but it really could prove to a very valuable innovation. Such a massive undertaking would have to be required by law and be orchestrated by government officials. It is highly unlikely that this would ever occur, but it is interesting to contemplate. 

It may not be possible to get everyone to agree to wear tracking devices. However, a more realistic plan would be to strap them onto everyone who has recently been released from prison. If we had tracking devices on all ex-convicts it would be impossible to commit crimes once they have been released from prison without being hauled right back in. These people would also be arrested if they violated the terms of their parole by leaving the state or if they removed their tracking devices intentionally. 

A high percentage of ex-convicts commit equal or worse crimes after they are released from prison, and human tracking devices could be a great way to prevent them from doing so. This could be good for both the innocent people they come across and the ex-cons themselves. While it may not seem ethical to attach a human tracking device to any person, even an ex-convict, they gave up a lot of their human rights when they committed the crime that got them behind bars in the first place. There could also be an understanding wherein a person who has worn the tracking device for a certain period of time, say three years, without causing any trouble, could have their device removed.