Skip to main content

MIT app lets strangers anonymously share their lives

MIT app lets strangers anonymously share their lives

Share this story

Secret's voyeuristic little blurbs about the lives of others have made the simple app surprisingly catchy, even though the secrets shared on it aren't necessarily true. But soon, an app in the works from MIT's Media Lab should be able to provide a more honest look into the lives of others: the app, 20 Day Stranger, will pair up two anonymous participants and automatically send general information about what they're doing to one another. According to the Boston Herald, the app will share basic details that can be collected from their location data and accelerometer, such whether they're biking, or sitting in a coffee shop, or hanging around an airport. It'll then tap into Instagram, Google Maps, and other services to grab a photo of that location to share with each person's anonymous recipient.

"You'll never know who it is or exactly where they are, but we hope it will reveal enough about someone to build your imagination of their life," the app's site explains. It's really that simple, and according to FastCo Design, participants will only be able to send a single message to their partner at the very end of their 20 days together. The intention is for them to otherwise remain anonymous, with the photography being enough — at most — for each person to perhaps recognize the other person's general location, should they be in a big city or near a well-known landmark. The app is currently being beta tested, but MIT's Media Lab is reportedly hoping to release it in the near future.