Leap into the digital spaces of fellow bus travellers

The Mobile Snoop Service experiment developed by Anab Jain (one of the 2 developpers of the fantastic sketch-a-move toycar) as part of her studies at the Interaction Design, allowed people to snoop into fellow travelers mobile phones and read text messages, view images and listen to conversations while traveling. The MSS was available on trial on bus nr.52 in London earlier this year.

On the screens a 3-G video phone, the registered users see the other snoopers on board. The more a user is ready to open him/herself, the more s/he can snoop into other people's mobile spaces. The service also allowed a user to know how many people snooped on her/him... Who found him/her more interesting? Who did not snoop on him/her?

The "service" is a critique of the information content pervading public space. Increasing digital realms lead to tighter security systems which in turn might make us more and more vulnerable in public spaces.

Have a look at the video!