| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to privacy violations and data misuse in the Girls Around Me app could be considered as having happened again within the same organization or with its products and services. The app was criticized for accessing women's data without their knowledge or permission, leading to concerns about stalking and privacy breaches [10588].
(b) The incident involving privacy violations and data misuse in the Girls Around Me app could also be seen as a broader issue affecting multiple organizations or their products and services. The app's actions raised concerns about the importance of privacy settings on social networks like Facebook and Foursquare, highlighting the risks associated with sharing personal information online [10588]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to the design phase. The Girls Around Me app pulled data from Facebook and Foursquare without the users' explicit consent or knowledge. It linked to their Facebook pages, revealing photos and contact data, which raised concerns about privacy and potential stalking. The app requested excessive information, including Facebook login, pictures, basic information, and permission to collect location data at all times, indicating a design flaw in terms of privacy and data security [10588].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. Users who downloaded the Girls Around Me app were required to link it to their personal Facebook account, granting access to their information. The app allowed users to search for nearby women and potentially misuse the data for stalking or other inappropriate purposes. This misuse of the app by users highlights an operational failure in terms of ethical use and responsible behavior [10588]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in this case can be attributed to factors originating from within the system. The Girls Around Me app pulled data from Facebook and Foursquare without the explicit consent or knowledge of the women being targeted. The app requested extensive personal information from users, including Facebook login details, photos, email addresses, and location data even when the app was closed. This behavior of the app, including its data collection practices and the way it linked to Facebook, contributed to the controversy and criticism surrounding its potential for facilitating stalking and privacy violations [10588].
(b) outside_system: The failure can also be attributed to factors originating from outside the system. Foursquare, one of the platforms from which the app was pulling data, took action by shutting off the app's API access due to a violation of policy. This external action by Foursquare indicates that the software failure incident was influenced by factors external to the Girls Around Me app itself [10588]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to non-human actions, specifically the violation of Foursquare's API policy. Foursquare shut off the Girls Around Me app's API access due to a violation of policy, indicating that the failure was a result of contributing factors introduced without human participation [10588].
(b) On the other hand, the failure can also be linked to human actions. The Girls Around Me app required users to link their personal Facebook account, providing a significant amount of personal information including gender, age, photos, and email addresses. Users had to grant permission for the app to collect location data at all times, and they were charged for using the app to search for nearby women. Additionally, the app was criticized for accessing women's data without their knowledge or permission, highlighting the role of human actions in the failure [10588]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is not related to hardware issues but rather to privacy concerns and policy violations originating from the software itself. The Girls Around Me app was criticized for accessing women's data without their knowledge or permission, linking to their Facebook pages, and collecting excessive personal information [10588].
(b) The software failure incident in the article is directly related to software issues. The Girls Around Me app was designed to pull data from Facebook and Foursquare to locate women in the area, leading to privacy concerns, online outrage, and a violation of Foursquare's API policy, which resulted in the shutdown of the app's API access [10588]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is malicious in nature. The Girls Around Me app was designed to pull data from Facebook and Foursquare without the knowledge or permission of the women being targeted. The app allowed users to easily find and message nearby women based on their location data obtained from Foursquare and their personal information from Facebook. This behavior was criticized as enabling stalking and taking advantage of individuals who were not aware of how their data was being used [10588]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was related to poor_decisions. The Girls Around Me app was designed to pull data from Facebook and Foursquare to find women in the area without their explicit consent or knowledge. The app requested excessive personal information from users, linked to their Facebook accounts, and allowed for the collection of location data at all times. This raised concerns about privacy violations and the potential for stalking, leading to outrage and criticism of the app for exploiting social media platforms and user data [10588]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The Girls Around Me app pulled data from Facebook and Foursquare without the users' full understanding or consent, leading to concerns about privacy and potential stalking issues. The app requested excessive personal information, including Facebook login, pictures, gender, age, photos, and email addresses, and had the capability to collect location data at all times, even when the app was closed. Stanford lecturer Elizabeth Stark criticized the app for requiring too much information and highlighted that without the link to Facebook, it could easily be seen as a "let's stalk women" app [10588]. This incident showcases a lack of professional competence in designing and implementing the app with appropriate privacy considerations.
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered accidental to some extent. The app's data collection practices and the potential for misuse were not explicitly intended by the users who shared their information on Facebook and Foursquare. The app's ability to access women's data without their knowledge or permission was a result of how social media platforms default to sharing everything with everyone, leading to users unknowingly putting themselves at risk. Foursquare shut off the app's API access, indicating that the app's actions were not in line with the platform's policies and were unintentional violations [10588]. This accidental aspect of the failure is evident in how users' data was accessed and utilized without their explicit consent. |
| Duration |
permanent |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is more of a permanent nature. The Girls Around Me app was designed in a way that allowed users to access women's data without their knowledge or permission by pulling data from Facebook and Foursquare. This design flaw, which enabled stalking and privacy violations, was a contributing factor introduced by all circumstances, making it a permanent failure [10588]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The Girls Around Me app experienced a form of software failure that could be categorized as a crash. The app was shut down by Foursquare due to a violation of their API policy, indicating a failure in the system losing its state and not performing its intended functions [10588].
(b) omission: The Girls Around Me app could also be seen as a failure due to omission. The app was criticized for accessing women's data without their knowledge or permission, indicating a failure in the system omitting to perform its intended functions ethically and transparently [10588].
(c) timing: There is no specific information in the article to suggest a failure due to timing.
(d) value: The Girls Around Me app could be considered a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The app allowed users to access women's data without their consent, leading to concerns about privacy violations and potential misuse of the information [10588].
(e) byzantine: There is no indication of a failure due to a byzantine behavior in the described incident.
(f) other: The Girls Around Me app's behavior could also be categorized as a failure due to a lack of consideration for user privacy and ethical implications. The app requested excessive personal information from users, collected location data at all times, and potentially facilitated stalking behavior, highlighting a failure in the system's ethical design and user protection mechanisms [10588]. |