New information has surfaced, actually some of this information became known to the local police on the very same day the website went online. The problem is that poachers use the service to track the wolfs in order to hunt them down. Wolfs are always a hot debate topic here in Sweden and there are several groups that would like to see the wolfs gone, or at least diminish them.

I think this is a perfect example of why it’s important to think your design through before you release it. Give people the ability to track certain animals and there are bound to be consequences—I for one would have loved the service so that I could be able to find great locations where I can find and photograph these beautiful animals. Instead of protecting the dogs the result was an illegal hunt of wolfs. It’s crucial in the design process to sit down and try to picture all the different effects the design might produce. Obviously, this is easier said then done—but it’s the designers obligation to do so.

If “we” as designers are narrow minded and only think about one possible usage of the service we are designing, then we have failed. We have an ethical responsibility when we’re designing. It’s impossible to foresee all different affects an application or a system might have. Everybody is individual and due to several varying factors the end user will use the product in unpredictable ways. That being said, even I would have raised my hand in a meeting during the design process if I was developing the aforementioned service. It’s such an obvious vicious usage of the service that I’m right out shocked that it was even released.

Source (in Swedish): SR.se: Tjuvjägare utnyttjade vargwebb