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A new app calls TowIt wants to use the power of the Internet to shame drivers who park illegally, and potentially flag them for the police. The Week reports that TowIt was launched in Toronto, and is being lightly used in some other cities as well, with users taking photos of illegally parked vehicles and uploading them to the app, where they appear on a map that everyone can see. The power of TowIt, for now, rests in shaming, and since few people use the app, that’s not all that much power, considering drivers might not even realize a photo of their car is on it. But the ultimate goal of its creators is to have the app be smart enough to know a city’s parking laws and be connected with law enforcement, so that it can automatically alert police to illegally parked cars, which could then be ticketed and/or towed, But they also want to help drivers avoid that happening to them, by having the app let drivers know if they’re allowed to park in a certain spot or not.

What do you think of the public shaming aspect of TowIt, do you think that will really change any drivers’ behavior?

What do you think of its ultimate goal — to automatically be able to report illegally parked cars to police, who can then ticket or tow the cars?

What do you think of the creators also wanting it to help people avoid ticketing and towing by telling them if its legal for them to park in a space or not?

Are you okay with having a privately-owned app do this kind of semi-official law enforcement work? (Pulse of Radio) (Image: www.flickr.com)