Locating Sex Offenders from Your iPhone

Sep 15th, 2009 | By Jessica Dobias | Category: Attorney Gadgets, Featured, Lead Article, Social Media

Curious where the sex offenders live in your neighborhood? There’s an app for that…

Apparently there was an app on the iPhone called the Offender Locator that allowed iPhone users to view where sex offenders were in their area. Apple removed the iPhone app after reports circulated that the app was inaccurate and posed some legal issues. Apparently, opponents of the Offender Locator reported that the information for the sex offender database was maintained by a private company and was not regularly updated.

Since this occurrence, the company that created the iPhone app, ThinAir Wireless, has subsequently updated the app. I wanted to give a review of some of the updated features and explain my concerns about the Offender Locator app for iPhone.

Let me begin by reviewing the functionality and first use of the Offender Locator Lite for the iPhone:

(1) After download is complete, the Terms and Conditions pop up on the user’s iPhone stating:

“Vision 20/20 and ThinAir Wireless, Inc. make no representation, implied or expressed, that all information placed on this website is accurate. The information is constantly changing and being updated. The information is used to report on the Vision 20/20 POM Offender Locator originates from official records. … If you believe the information on this application or site is incorrect please contact your local police department in which you believe the error to be. … It should be very clear that any type of harassment or threatening of any offenders listed on this application/site is not condoned nor encouraged by Vision 20/20 or ThinAir Wireless Inc., and is very likely to be illegal in your state to do so.”

In order to proceed and use the app, the user must select that they agree to the terms. Additionally, the camera function is disabled, so I am unable to present you with screen shots of my search. However, this makes a lot of sense from a legal perspective.

(2) The user can select to locate offenders from the user’s Current Location, Contact’s Address (Address Book) or the Entire Street Address (A specific address). I selected Current Location.

(3) A list pops up with all the sex offenders in my area. When a user clicks on the name of a sex offender the name, photo, alias, address, offenses, last offense, ethnicity and gender of the sex offender is presented. The Map feature is also available for users to select.

(4) When a user selects Map View, a map is presented with the user’s location in green and sex offenders in the area are presented in red (similar to the pinpoint display on Google Maps.)

Overall, the app is very easy to use and loads quickly. I don’t know any sex offenders, so I have no way of evaluating whether the information is correct, but overall the look and feel of the app is smooth and non-intimidating.

Here’s a video of how the online version works. Again, I wish I could show you some photos from the iPhone version, but the camera feature is disabled.

The Main Argument Against the Offender Locator

However, one of the main arguments against the Offender Locator is that it places sex offenders, their families and neighbors in danger. When viewing the map version of the Offender Locator, I can’t help agreeing. In the city center of Chicago, most individuals live in apartments or condos, thus it makes me worried that someone will take the law into their own hands in a radical attempt at citizen vigilantism. However, apartment and condo complexes are usually larger and house a number of individuals, so a vigilante is probably less likely to target an individual in Chicago. It’s more likely a citizen vigilante would target a neighborhood with single family dwellings.

Have you ever looked up your home on Google Maps? Is the map accurate? Is your home the one that Google Maps points to? When I pull up my address in Texas, I can see that Google Maps clearly pinpointed the wrong home. What happens when and if a citizen vigilante gets confused and “serves justice” in your home instead of your neighbor’s home? Google Maps runs the maps service and as anyone can see, it’s not always the most accurate.

Google Maps does allow for the community to change the location of an address if its inaccurate. But if I was a sex offender, I would really hope nobody notices Google Maps inaccurately pinpoints my house as my neighbor’s home.

If you are one of those unlucky individuals who is the victim of citizen vigilantism, its very unlikely you’d have much of a claim against Offender Locator, Google Maps or it’s partner TeleAtlas. All three companies claim they are not liable for inaccurate information in their Terms of Service.

This new iPhone app does present an issue as to safety for sex offenders, their families and their surrounding neighbors. Is technology endangering sex offenders, their families and nearby neighbors or is it empowering cautious iPhone-equipped citizens? Do the possible consequences outweigh the possible benefits? What are your thoughts?

Tags: iphone, sex offender database, Social Media

7 comments
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New SMLS Post: Locating Sex Offenders on your iPhone! « September 15th, 2009 9:41 am :
[...] a new post up at Social Media Law Student about an iPhone app that will let you locate Sex Offenders. There are some interesting legal issues that arise from it. I hope you will all take a look at [...]
Sam Jones September 15th, 2009 9:41 am :
This is the worst app in the entire world. Google maps is hardly right when you type in your own address. Now people will be thinking you are a sexual predator after Google maps places them at your house! I can’t believe this is happening…what is the world coming to?

[Reply]
Jessica Dobias Reply:
September 15th, 2009 at 9:58 am
I know what you mean, Sam.

If every sex offender was tech savvy, he’d just go online and change the location of his home on Google Maps to his neighbor’s house. I agree, it’s not a very good idea.

I could see some really smart vigilante counting the houses on his iPhone or Google Maps and NEVER once checking to confirm the physical address matches the numerical address. It’s far too inaccurate to be considered trusted.

I also find it disturbing that it was removed once by Apple for being inaccurate. Um, maybe that’s a sign it just shouldn’t exist?

[Reply]
Tyson Mutrux September 15th, 2009 6:43 pm :
The app picture certainly captures the creepiness…

[Reply]
James September 29th, 2009 11:22 am :
I can see your issue with the inaccurate mapping, and there are certainly a host or arguments against our current sex offender registry system, but—at the same time—sex offender names, addresses, and other personal information are public information. I don’t see the difference between looking up your state’s sex offender registry, going to a sex offender mapping website, or using this app. Only the app puts that information in your hand. The crazy thing is that no sex offender data is 100% accurate. Many sex offenders abscond, fail to register, or move and forget to change their address in the database. Sex offender tracking/mapping applications and sites just republish the best information available to them. I think it’s really up to citizens to use the information wisely. Everyone should take sex offender data with a grain of salt and simply use it to educate yourself rather than use it to become a stupid citizen vigilante.

[Reply]
Law Firm India December 6th, 2009 10:10 pm :
I also find it disturbing that it was removed once by Apple for being inaccurate. Um, maybe that’s a sign it just shouldn’t exist?

[Reply]
jim jones December 10th, 2009 10:27 pm :
I think it’s really up to citizens to use the information wisely. Everyone should take sex offender data with a grain of salt and simply use it to educate yourself rather than use it to become a stupid citizen vigilante.

[Reply]