A New App Lets You Hire an Anonymous Person to Spy for You
People have been hiring “spies” since time immemorial. Every government in history has recruited and paid spies. When individuals do it, they’re usually called “private investigators” but the concept is the same: go out, gather information, report back.
Now, the age-old profession of espionage is being given the ride-share treatment. A new app called Mole lets you hire strangers to be your eyes and ears all over the world.
I call it the “ride-share” treatment because it uses technology to “de-professionalize” an area of commerce. Like Uber and Lyft took getting a taxi out of the hands of only licensed cabbies and car services, Mole seeks to do the same for snooping, spying and stalking.
The way it works is this: you go on Mole and post that you want to see live video of a certain location. Then someone who is signed up on Mole can take your assignment and earn a few bucks by livestreaming it to you.
Mole even gives a few examples of how the app could be used. Say, for example, you’re out of town and you want to check in on your house. Maybe you want to make sure your teenager isn’t running a “Risky Business” style brothel out of your home. Maybe you just want someone to go over and show you that all the doors are still secured and all the windows unbroken.
I think we can safely say there’s no way this app could be used for any nefarious purposes. Although, it does make me wonder: if you just paid someone to go and film your empty house haven’t you just a.) told a stranger that you’re not home, b.) given the stranger your address and c.) let the stranger know you don’t already have some high-dollar home security system? It’s almost like you’re telling a stranger that your home is extremely rob-able. Also, paying someone to cruise by and film your ex’s house seems like a really good way to skirt around restraining orders. Ah, I’m probably just being paranoid! I’m sure NO new technology has ever had unintended consequences, right?
Here Is How To Blur Your Home On Google Street View