iPhone App Tracks Sex Offenders

1 million users download program, but info isn't perfect
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 30, 2009 5:00 AM CDT
iPhone App Tracks Sex Offenders
The iPhone program Offender Locator uses public databases to pinpoint the homes of convicted sex criminals. But some information may be inaccurate, and expunged records are still on file.   (©quacktaculous)

Concerned parents—or vigilantes—with an iPhone can download a new set of applications that track crime, list fugitives, or even pinpoint the locations of freed sex offenders. Using public records, developers have built programs like Offender Locator, which uses the phone's GPS to identify homes of nearby felons, complete with photographs. Offender Locator has been downloaded 1 million times, though public interest advocates warn the app's information can be inaccurate.
(More iPhone stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X