October 2, 2008

The Obama iPhone app.

IPhone apps are cool, but is it a little creepy to embed a politician in the hub of all your communications?
The most notable feature "organizes and prioritizes your contacts by key battleground states, making it easy to reach out and make an impact quickly," according to the software.

On my phone, the application ranked contacts in Colorado, Michigan, and New Mexico at the top; at the bottom was a friend whose cell phone has a Texas number, though she actually lives in California.

The application anonymously reports back the number of calls made this way: "Your privacy is important: no personal data or contacts will be uploaded or stored. Only the total number of calls you make is uploaded anonymously."
I'm just tech savvy enough to get paranoid when I read assurances that I shouldn't be paranoid.

Taking the assurance as true, I still wonder why the campaign records the number of calls. Are they trying to determine which of their supporters -- identified by number -- are the most active social communicators?

27 comments:

Rich Beckman said...

Or maybe they just want to know if the app is at all effective.

Brian Doyle said...

You need to see this.

Lorelei Leigh said...

This is way cooler than Obama TV.

chuck b. said...

He's not a politician; he transcends that.

You're not listening!

George M. Spencer said...

Flash mob

Smart mob

Follow the links, people, follow the links...

Triangle Man said...

That's a pretty clever idea. It may not do anything to improve his votes that more lawn signs couldn't accomplish, but an interesting use of the technology.

The only thing they can know from the total number of calls placed through the app effectively how many people are using it and how intensely it is used for calling. I think I might have left that out and simply tracked downloads to avoid the privacy concerns of those who are just tech savvy enough to get paranoid about things like this.

Triangle Man said...

doyle, that's completely unrelated to this thread. Furthermore, although she's a little pitchy in spots it was an OK performance. Or did you mean the outfit?

KCFleming said...

Doyle said: "Mock the woman!"

Alex said...

Please people, do NOT feed the troll's anti-Palin fixation.

Henry said...

The Obama campaign's technological sophistication puts that Simpsons cartoon in a different light.

Anonymous said...

It may be as inoquous as they say, but what will prevent them from selling my TN to someone else afterward?

It wouldn't matter to me from whom it came. I would not download it.

TosaGuy said...

Isn't this type of monitoring, tracking and feedback similar to that which upsets some about the Patriot Act?

Sofa King said...

Isn't this type of monitoring, tracking and feedback similar to that which upsets some about the Patriot Act?

No, of course not, because they're doing it for good you see, instead of for evil.

TJ said...

"Are they trying to determine which of their supporters -- identified by number -- are the most active social communicators?"

The simple answer is yes. Part of "the game" is "leveling up" based on your involvement. It keeps people motivated.

It's arguably mockable--as many here will no doubt do--but it's undeniably savvy.

eecross said...

Professor:
you think this is scary? Have you seen the video of the children singing the joys of the Dear Leader? And sponsored by the CEO of NBC? Now, that's scary!

Anonymous said...

eecross said...
Professor:
you think this is scary? Have you seen the video of the children singing the joys of the Dear Leader? And sponsored by the CEO of NBC? Now, that's scary!

2:16 PM


I was already discussed here and here

kjbe said...

Why so paranoid?

This is how you run a campaign in the 21st century.

Just wait until Apple gets iPhone's GPS tracker to work in the background.

TJ said...

Meanwhile, McCain's campaign has begun collecting beeper numbers and asking people to set their VCR's to record the debate.

Anonymous said...

OMGz, TJ, you r the funniez!! The lolz, the lolz!!!

...sapingo...

Anonymous said...

"Only the total number of calls you make is uploaded anonymously."

R-i-i-i-i-ght. And this is accepted blindly by the anti-FISA brigade!

I hope everyone is busy learning the Dear Leader Brings Happiness song.

Guillotines on order for January 21st.

Unknown said...

This app is really cool. I say that as a firm anti-Obama partisan. But I'm a bigger nerd than I am a partisan, and this app is cool.

PogoПОССУМ said...

Da, Trevor, the old ones are stealing from the community by their worthless unproductive lives.

If you're demented, you're wasting people's lives -- your family's lives -- and you're wasting the resources" of the Nation.

TJ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

mcg, I agree that it is cool, but I still have privacy concerns.

BJM said...

Obsessive, yes, but creepy would be children singing praises of Obama on your iPhone.

Hmmm...isn't contacting/organizing voters an FEC regulated activity? Anyone?

Triangle Man said...

bjm,

Your worst nightmares realized! the iPhone has a YouTube app!

halojones-fan said...

Sheesh. Imagine the shitstorm that would erupt if someone made the exact same thing, but with McCain's face. We'd see articles and columns and TV stories about the Republican candidate's "SHOCKING CULT-OF-PERSONALITY UNDERTONES".