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When a sticky-fingered thief pilfers your laptop, you rarely get a chance to track him down – unless you use Prey, that is. We've already covered how to use the GPS-enabled, screenshot-sending program to recover your notebook in just that circumstance, but creative researchers at MIT have started using Prey for a more humane effort. They've begun installing the software on second-hand electronics sent to developing countries in Indonesia, South Asia and Africa to help charities put a face to people who are helped by the donations.
The guys and gals at MIT's Senseable City Lab came up with the project, which is dubbed Backtalk, CNET reports. They installed Prey on second-hand netbooks and smartphones, then disseminated them with the help of nonprofit organizations. Every 20 minutes, Prey records the GPS location of the device and snaps a shot with the device's camera, letting the MIT gang know exactly where the donation ended up – and see the face of the person benefiting from it.
Take a chill pill, privacy advocates; we already hear you grumbling. The Backtalk program only tracks devices after the new owners agree to it, and stickers explaining the program are affixed to the case of all affected electronics. The stickers (Shown above) are written in the tongue of the person receiving the device.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York is showcasing screenshots from the program in an exhibit that opened yesterday.
Image Credit: MIT Senseable City Lab via CNET
Comments are closed on this article
dgrmouse
July 25, 2011 at 12:22pm
This is repugnant. The devices are called PERSONAL computers for a reason!
Tenhawk
July 25, 2011 at 12:39pm
Come on man, did you not bother to read the article? it's an Opt-In system. Unless the end user chooses to accept, the system doesn't go active and his computer remains entirely private. Crap crud, dude, that's better than we get here on NEW systems. If and when they turn it on without telling the end user, THEN I'll be miffed, but until that day comes do what the article suggests and take a chill pill.
