U-lock pioneer uses social media to fight bike theft - The Boston Globe

An innovative approach (and timely PR move), but unclear if it’ll be useful

Priced at around $15 per kit, the labels will allow customers to register their bar codes using a free scanning application they can download to their smartphones. If their bikes are stolen, they report the theft to an online registry, www.bikerevolution.org, which in turn will broadcast an alert to other bike owners using Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites.

The system effectively enlists members of the cycling community as watchdogs. Armed with their smartphones, other cyclists will be able to check whether a stickered bike matching one on an alert is indeed stolen.

U-lock pioneer uses social media to fight bike theft - The Boston Globe