Wait, is that actually a criticism levelled against Waze? That can't possibly stick, right?
Almost everyone in the U.S. drives and everyone who drives hates getting traffic tickets. I thought allegations/criticisms like these only really worked when you could separate the users into some group identified as "other".
Yes that is a real criticism against Waze. The thought is that the "show where the cops are" feature can be used by those who wish to assassinate cops (by finding them when they are alone I guess).
There is a movement (it's currently trending on Facebook - so there are plenty articles to read there) that is trying to force Google to remove the offending data. The problem is, to anyone's knowledge, there hasn't been a single case of "officer assault" linked to Waze data.
It does sound silly, as cops are not hard to find. I seriously doubt a would be cop killer needs to consult an app when looking for a cop to kill.
I think it's more likely to be used on the commonplace to avoid areas with police -- either for the traffic ticket dodger, or for mugger's, home invader's, etc...
From the article: Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck complained in a letter to Google's chief executive on Dec. 30 that Waze could be "misused by those with criminal intent to endanger police officers and the community."
Perhaps then the police should stop tracking everyone's movements with Automated Number Plate Readers (ANPRs) because the second their huge database gets compromised it's going to be exceedingly easy for criminals to figure out when law abiding citizens are regularly not home (and not just during work hours!) so they can safely break into houses and rob them.
Almost everyone in the U.S. drives and everyone who drives hates getting traffic tickets. I thought allegations/criticisms like these only really worked when you could separate the users into some group identified as "other".