10 | Sept 11, 2013
tech news
Local & World
Columbus State University | The Saber
Google to design ROBO-TAXI, a self-driving car
Malika L. Harris
Illustration: Trevor Mehrkens
Managing Editor
Google is currently planning to create a fleet of driverless robo-taxis to pick up and drop off passengers. The ultimate goal of Google’s self driving car project is to create a robo-taxi service which picks commuters up on demand. This system is rumored to ultimately do away with the need for most people to buy cars. Google reported to The Times that the robo-taxis will reduce the number of road accidents and have environmental benefits. Since the launch of its project 2010 to incorporate self driving cars, Google has created its software installed in both a Toyota Prius and a Lexus RX. The company’s move to create a driverless vehicle of its own comes after the company held talks with major manufacturers in the past months, hoping that car manufacturers would build vehicles that incorporated Google’s self-driving software. However, it is believed the carmakers have been reluctant to enter a partnership with Google, not wishing to give the technology giant a foothold within the motoring industry and possibly their profits. As a result, Google has turned to designing its own cars. It has been reported by several international newspapers that Google was in reach of sealing a deal with Continental, one of the world’s largest car component makers, to supply parts for its vehicles. If true, the robo-taxi system will be created within Google X, a department responsible for the development of futuristic technologies.
Boyfriend tracker app removed from Google Play Store
Malika L. Harris
Illustrations: Sabrina Anderson
Managing Editor
It appears that the U.S. National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation are the not the only ones surveying the calls and messages of others. Tens of thousands of Brazilians who downloaded an app called “Rastreador de Namorados” or “Boyfriend Tracker” from the Google Play store onto their smartphones are victims of another privacy breach. The app was created by Matheus Grijo, a 24 year-old software developer from Sao Paulo, and allows users to track the location and text traffic of their partner. The app as quoted on the Google app store before it was removed, said it was an app that “promises to act like a private detective in your partner’s pocket.” Some of the functionalities of the app included sending the person doing the tracking updates on their partner’s location and forwarding duplicates of text message traffic from the targeted phone. There was even a command that allowed the user to force the target phone to silently call their own, like a pocket dial, so they can listen in on what the person is saying. Similar apps are marketed for smartphone users in other countries, including Europe and the U.S., but Boyfriend Tracker is the first that has made any impact in Brazil. Though Google spokeswoman Gina Johnson said via email that as a policy the company doesn’t comment on why apps are removed, critics of the app say that even as advertised, apps similar to the Boyfriend Tracker can violate privacy rights and could also be used for more malicious purposes such as stalking. Some in Brazil argue it breaks an anti online harassment and hacking law in place since April. The law is named after Brazilian actress Carolina Dieckmann, who had nude photos of herself leaked by hackers in 2012 after she refused to pay about $5,000. Grijo insists his lawyer inspected the app and determined it does not violate any Brazilian laws. Despite being removed by Google, it is still available via direct download from his company’s website. A disclaimer on that website stipulates the app is for “social and recreational use” and absolves the developer of responsibility for any misuse.