There are a couple of apps out there that are causing some controversy, but for two very different reasons. One is about class, and one is about cops.

Class120

The first one we’ll discuss is a class-attendance app called Class120, and it sends a message to the student and other designated people, usually a parent and administrator, when the student misses a class. It’s participation-based, meaning the student or someone authorized uploads their schedule into the app, and the phone uses its GPS in order to determine whether or not the student is in class. It won’t say where the student actually is, it will just say they are not in class.

In principle, I am in full support of this. Student attendance is a problem I have had to address countless times in almost twenty years of teaching, in fact in this very class this very semester, student attendance is generally around 50 percent. I’ve even had more than one student think it’s acceptable to never show up for class yet still achieve a passing grade; not just asking if it’s possible but *telling* me that it *will* be. To me it’s beyond bizarre, so much so I often simply don’t respond because the very concept is so alien to me. Not only that, if a parent is paying tuition often into the tens of thousands of dollars, they have the right to know what their kid is doing, as do those who offer scholarships.

Class120

On the other hand, it’s a tracking app, something that gives me pause. I understand it, but there could be arguments made about whether or not it’s a good solution. Critics feel that by not allowing college students to develop good habits on their own, they won’t be properly prepared for the real world when they won’t have parents making sure they’re meeting their obligations. The big risk is that with total freedom comes strong temptation to do other things than go to class.

However with some truly atrocious graduation rates, maybe something needs to be done.

Waze:

The next app that’s causing controversy is Waze, a very popular app that helps people find out where traffic issues are and avoid them. It’s crowd-sourced, meaning the data is entered and updated by the users themselves. In and of itself not a big deal, however the app also allows people to update and alert others to the locations of police. Not just speed traps, but people pulled over and even where the police are eating lunch. Law enforcement has become concerned that this kind of thing could allow someone who has an anti-law enforcement tendency to stalk the police, and perhaps ambush them unaware.

Waze. Source: Engadget

To be fair, there has been no known attack on law enforcement attributed to the app, and some police even feel it may be beneficial by getting people to drive more safely, and in one city the police are actually entering false data.

Police don’t want the app closed down, they want the police-tracking aspect removed. I can understand both sides, but when a concern is over the potential safety of anyone, it’s something that should at least be thoroughly evaluated.

Here’s a video from CBS News that discusses the concerns: