Backlash against Microsoft's "Avoid Ghetto" GPS feature

Many major metropolitan cities produce publicly available crime stats and I'm sure MS could tap into private sources as well to build this feature into their GPS business. You can also use census data and combine that with perhaps density of certain types of businesses (vice/liquor/gun-store) and things like traffic patterns (avoid walking down low-traffic unlit streets after midnight) to determine optimal areas to travel through or places to avoid.

What got me about that interview was that Juanita from the NAACP had some seriously flawed logic. She said she couldn't imagine not being able to go to MLK street because her GPS said it as dangerous. As far as I know, you are the driver and the GPS doesn't dictate where your car goes, YOU DO.

I absolutely understand how this could reinforce negative stereotypes but as a driver, I would like to know if I'm at a higher risk of getting carjacked or shot.

This article is a bit sensationalist, I would definitely enjoy having such a feature if I was driving through an unfamiliar city... from what I can tell it simply rates areas based on crime stats. However, I can appreciate the point that if this sort of application becomes widespread it could potentially perpetuate crime/poverty etc. in already struggling areas.

I see nothing wrong with it. "Avoid Ghetto" was never a branding term issued by Microsoft. Avoiding areas known to have higher than average crime rates is a great feature, one that many people have thought of before.