Microsoft Patents ‘Avoid Ghetto’ Feature For GPS Devices

I have one question. Your wife and daughter are travelling alone in areas they do not know. Do you want them to have this feature, or not? I know my answer. Wanting to avoid being the victim of a crime does not mean you do not want to change the social and economic reasons for that crime. You don't need to walk the streets of a DC ghetto at night to want a better future for the people living there.

reply to post by jude11


I can not explain why but for some reason this reminds me of the old Eddie Murphy skit that goes "Beep. .. ... Somebody stole your battery, I say that we go get the M F" anyone else?

I got robbed at gunpoint standing next to my car, which was parked in front of a $1.8million home in Atlanta...upon leaving a coffee shop...just sayin.

reply to post by randomname


that's pretty embarrassing. you invite people over for a dinner party, they punch your address on the car gps and red flags and sirens start popping all over the place on their screen.

Dinner Party!? In my beat up flat in the ghetto? That's funny.

reply to post by jude11


I don't care for GPS...I can read a map.

Gettos didn't start out that way.
The people that live there make them that way.

I support this feature.

I also support a chipper/shredder outsidse the court house. Run the lifelong criminals through it.

Actually I can kindof support this. I don't think it's unreasonable or immoral at all. I've gotten lost in a bad area of a city twice now... I saw a girl smoking crack out in the open, I saw a guy rolling around in the street high on something, there was some guy in a brand new SUV with huge rims that pulled up next to me in the street and just stared at me... Bad neighborhoods can be dangerous.
There's nothing wrong with being aware of high-crime areas and avoiding them. In fact, it's sensible and wise.

The concept for an "Avoid Ghetto" option has been around for a while. It's just that it was more of a joke than anything else.

Things People Our Age Think About

Meh. Let's bash this idea because someones feelings might get hurt about the reality of the crappiness of their neighborhood. Besides, its way more important to be PC than to be safe.

I was down in orlando once and got on the wrong bus ended up going to a very bad neighborhood. The driver stopped the bus at one point and asked me where I was going when I told him he said I had taken the east instead of the west bus (or the other way it's been like 15 years). Then he said I should come sit right behind him and not make eye contact with anyone who got on the bus in the area we where going into, because they didn't like white people there. It was a real eye opener and I try and avoid areas where I am a target rather than risking life and limb. While I probally wouldn't use this feature I can see where it would be usable and helpful in a unknown city.

Also the article says it is for pedestrians not vehicles.

I have a campground and we hand out maps with a certain area in red to avoid. I got called on it and told the caller I did it for the safety of our guest and there's no reason for them to go there anyway. They are going to boycott me. I'm guessing not too many people in the hood go camping very often if they had a choice.

Oh yeah we had a record year once the word got out that we don't put up with crap. Even made the radio

Poor doesn't mean Bad.
You can drive around the worst areas and find nicely kept homes.

Does this app have a 'rich' neighborhood route for the paranoid who want to be extra safe?
The elite would demand tho police stop writing tickets and be proactive in stopping crime in those areas to cut down the annoying 'common person' traffic in their area.

Make life unpleasant for the rich and things will change until then..,.

I used to live in a big city. From the time that I was a little kid, we were aware that there were areas that were less safe than other areas.

You can call them ghetto's or high crime areas, or whatever you like. These areas still exist.

If you choose to travel through them, you increase your chances of being a victim of crime. I don't really think it matters what the color of your skin is, your chances of being a victim go up when you travel in those areas.

I think that having high crime areas built into your navigation systems is a good feature.

Personally, if a gps can help me avoid high crime areas, I'd get it in a heartbeat. This would be great for people who move to new areas and people who travel a lot and aren't familiar with the area. I've been in several scarey situations before and these could have been avoided if I had this feature on my gps.

I think that this is a little disturbing actually

You know what else is disturbing? Driving through a ghetto. Try it sometime. If you make it out alive we can chat.

Originally posted by jude11
I don't know what to think of this. Are we creating "Dead Zones" out of poverty stricken areas of our cities?

I think that this is a little disturbing actually. Cut off a segment of society from GPS as if they don't exist? I can understand a safety issue but to have a "danger Zone" pop up on GPS because it's a high crime rate area is not sitting right with me and I don't know why.

It seems like something out of a futuristic movie. Driving along in the sunlight and it starts getting darker as we approach the "Undesirable Zone". hmmmm

Gotta think about this a little more myself but what say you?

seattle.cbslocal.com...

A GPS device is used to find shortcuts and avoid traffic, but Microsoft’s patent states that a route can be plotted for pedestrians to avoid an “unsafe neighborhood or being in an open area that is subject to harsh temperatures.”

Created for mobile phones, the technology uses the latest crime statistics and weather data and includes them when calculating a route.

edit on 8-1-2012 by jude11 because: (no reason given)

it is to save your life.you should be thankful microsoft values your life.

cos these junkies don't car about you?

you got that?

do you really want some junkie in the hood stabbing you dead,dead,dead?

these places are very dangerous.

look at those holidays makers who were robbed,raped and killed recently when they accidentally strayed into a ghetto.

i think all ghettos should be bulldozed ad the inhabitants shipped of to a prison island until they evolve and become civilized and hard working.

reply to post by virraszto


I completely agree. It's especially helpful for foreigners who made not know what places to avoid. It's better to have this helpful tool, than to get raped, robbed and killed.

I don't see anything disturbing with it, it's a great idea that hopefully soon enters the market.

I think this is a good idea because its very easy to leave good neighborhoods and accidentally get to the wrong side of town. Ive heard stories of lots of things, such as gangs running up at cars stopped at stop signs and throwin paint on the windshield(so you cant see if you try and drive off) and holding you up at gun point. If you want to drive through the ghetto Im sure theres a "Im HAM" button.

The question I inevitably came to ask my was, "How do they decide what is a ghetto?"

I agree this could see this creating societal "Dead Zones" like the OP said. It is not hard to surmise when you're getting to a bad part of town. If you're thinking you're getting into a dangerous ghetto then just reroute your GPS to the nearest Cheese Cake Factory or whatever other destination is suitably upper class enough you to feel safe in.

The world is a ghetto, and there is no avoiding it anyways. It doesn't say if you need to pay a subscription for this particular feature?