Stalkers/Thieves Can Use Posted Pics to Find Your Location

[Belinda Barfield]

Who knew? Well, probably some of you tech savvy guys. Being not tech savvy, I was unaware that my location can be determined from pics I post online. Those of you who sell on Ebay and Craig's List might need to know this. Just thought I'd share.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7621105 (http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7621105)

[Chuck Wintle]

Who knew? Well, probably some of you tech savvy guys. Being not tech savvy, I was unaware that my location can be determined from pics I post online. Those of you who sell on Ebay and Craig's List might need to know this. Just thought I'd share.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7621105 (http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7621105)

Some newer cameras include the GPS coordinates on the photo...can this be how they could do it?

[Belinda Barfield]

Yes, geotagging.

[Dan Hintz]

Belinda,

Use an EXIF stripper if it worries you... freebies all over the place. I agree, though, if you don't know it exists, it can be dangerous.

[Neal Clayton]

Being not tech savvy, I was unaware that my location can be determined from pics I post online. Those of you who sell on Ebay and Craig's List might need to know this. Just thought I'd share.



your location can also be determined by....looking at the phone book.

here's what google thinks of you (http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=belinda+williamson+savannah+ga&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=44b3839bd44fe786)

if you own property you are not anonymous. anyone can find real estate transactions with names from a local county tax collector's office. that also gives people a pretty good idea of how much money you make, based on the price of the house you bought. if you own a business, that's even more public government filings that they can sort through.

none of this is anything new. i can tell you who lived here where i'm sitting back in the 30s too (tax assessor's office doesn't go further than that online).

that sort of information has always been public.

i gotta think that TV and newspapers save this stuff for slow news days to scare grandma and grandpa with, because it's no different than it was back in the days before the internet, the only difference is back then you'd have to go to city hall and ask for the records, whereas now you can just sift through them on your laptop. and yeah you could get pictures then too, if the person's picture was ever in the local paper for a wedding or a civic award or an interview or any other such thing.

of course this is inconvenient if you're a congressman sorting through craigslist for a hooker with your real picture and your real name (but then again what isn't inconvenient if you're as stupid as that guy ;)).

[Belinda Barfield]

your location can also be determined by....looking at the phone book.

here's what google thinks of you (http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=belinda+williamson+savannah+ga&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=44b3839bd44fe786)

if you own property you are not anonymous. anyone can find real estate transactions with names from a local county tax collector's office. that also gives people a pretty good idea of how much money you make, based on the price of the house you bought. if you own a business, that's even more public government filings that they can sort through.

none of this is anything new. i can tell you who lived here where i'm sitting back in the 30s too (tax assessor's office doesn't go further than that online).

that sort of information has always been public.

i gotta think that TV and newspapers save this stuff for slow news days to scare grandma and grandpa with, because it's no different than it was back in the days before the internet, the only difference is back then you'd have to go to city hall and ask for the records, whereas now you can just sift through them on your laptop.

of course this is inconvenient if you're a congressman sorting through craigslist for a hooker with your real picture and your real name (but then again what isn't inconvenient if you're as stupid as that guy ;)).

All true, Neal. However, the phone book doesn't have a photo of that tool I just listed on Craig's List, nor that piece of jewelry I just listed on E-bay. The tax assessor's office doesn't have photos of my two beautiful little cousins on file with the deed information.

I didn't post this to try to scare anyone, just thought there might be others like me who didn't realize GPS information can be linked to posted photos.

I was stalked before all of this technology was available so I'm well aware that if a stalker wants to find you, he/she can with enough determination. It's just easier now.

[Neal Clayton]

yeah, it is easier, no doubt about that. but there were stalkers and rapists and predators before the internet came along too. we didn't devolve into knife wielding savages in the past 15 years as a species, some people were always that way, internet or not.

[Lee Schierer]

This is a good reason to use non-GPS enabled devices, not to join facebook, twitter, etc. Far too many folks don't realize how much information these free apps are gleaning from our moible devices. I even learned recently that Quicken gleans spending trend information from my online bank account transactions through their latest version of their software and reports it to Intuit, who in turn uses the information to market their programs. It's all buried in their TOS that no one bothers to read and only a room full of attorneys can understand.

[Scott Shepherd]

My favorites are when people post info about their upcoming vacations on facebook and then they come home to an empty house because they publicly told the world when they wouldn't be home.

Takes a little common sense to use the internet. Not much, but it does take a little.

[Bill Edwards(2)]

My favorites are when people post info about their upcoming vacations on facebook and then they come home to an empty house because they publicly told the world when they wouldn't be home.

Takes a little common sense to use the internet. Not much, but it does take a little.

I worked in the insurance industry in the late 60's. Those kinds of stories
were rampent and we didn't have push button phones, let alone the internet.

[Brian Vaughn]

Personally, I don't post pictures while at an event or vacation. Post them afterwards, everyone can still see them, and people didn't know you weren't home at a certain time. Like some others, I have relatives that post that they are leaving town, will be gone for so long. Then pictures from the vacation showing they definately aren't home. It's ust an uneccessary level of risk to me.

[Belinda Barfield]

I'm not sure why some people feel the need to make public every detail of their life. I frequently see an SUV around town. Just by looking at the back window and bumper you get a great deal of information about the driver's children. I could easily walk up to her daughter at Happy Go Lucky High School while she is cheering and call her by name. I realize that kidnappings are rare but is still seems that this woman would be quite so quick to advertise.

[Joe Angrisani]

The crooks will always find a way.

I recall a series of break-ins years ago when I was suffering my time in New Jersey. They would watch people park at the movie theater, then break into a high-end vehicle and take the registration and the garage door opener. Just like that they had an address and a "key". Since the victims had just gone into the movie, they knew they had an hour and a half to clean out the house while parked out of sight INSIDE the garage. There's always a way....

[Paul Steiner]

Belinda you are talking about stick figure stickers that can frequently be seen on the vans/suvs of families. I absolutely hate those things. Why broadcast that info? Personally I think it is narsasistic: this is us we are special everyone has a sticker. No one really cares, just don't hit me with your suv.
Personally I ask myself does it matter if something is tracking my location? I would say 90% of people have nothing to hide, they are just worried about big brother. If you tracked me you would see work, home, hardware store, gas station, and maybe grocery store. If this technology were used to track drug dealers, solve murders, and find missing people, I think most people would be for it.
On the other hand if you announce online "I will be out of town", you are asking for trouble.

[Belinda Barfield]

Paul, it doesn't necessarily matter to me if someone is tracking me (unless it is a stalker). I was thinking more of people who list tools and equipment for sale on Craig's List. Why buy the tools if you know where to break in and steal them. Obviously not everyone thinks this way, but some do.

[Dan Hintz]

Fox news in D.C. likes to post (and discuss on air) a weekly FaceBook friend and where they're from, someone who has "liked" the station's FB page. A couple of months back they highlighted a young lady who had recently "liked" them... and the station's talking head was kind enough to mention that her page said she was on vacation in so-and-so location for the next week. So it wasn't bad enough that the woman had mentioned her vacation on her homepage, but the entire D.C. viewing area now knew her name, her home's rough location in the city (Google told us the rest), and for how long it would be empty.

Morons...

[Jim Rimmer]

I'm not sure why some people feel the need to make public every detail of their life. I frequently see an SUV around town. Just by looking at the back window and bumper you get a great deal of information about the driver's children. I could easily walk up to her daughter at Happy Go Lucky High School while she is cheering and call her by name. I realize that kidnappings are rare but is still seems that this woman would be quite so quick to advertise.

LOML and I have discussed this many times. I can't tell you how many times I've been behind a vehicle whose rear window tells me that they have 3 children, all of their names, Susie is a dancer, Sally goes to day care at First Baptist Academy, and Paul plays baseball for the Mytown Tigers, Dad graduated from Baylor, and they attend First Baptist Church. On the surface, no harm. But if a child predator sees it, walks over to the ball park and finds Paul (whose name is on the back of his shirt) and says, Hey Paul, Susie slipped at the dance recital and hurt her leg. The pastor at First Baptist wants me to bring you to the Church so he can take you and Sally home. YIKES! Way too much information on public display.

[Belinda Barfield]

LOML and I have discussed this many times. I can't tell you how many times I've been behind a vehicle whose rear window tells me that they have 3 children, all of their names, Susie is a dancer, Sally goes to day care at First Baptist Academy, and Paul plays baseball for the Mytown Tigers, Dad graduated from Baylor, and they attend First Baptist Church. On the surface, no harm. But if a child predator sees it, walks over to the ball park and finds Paul (whose name is on the back of his shirt) and says, Hey Paul, Susie slipped at the dance recital and hurt her leg. The pastor at First Baptist wants me to bring you to the Church so he can take you and Sally home. YIKES! Way too much information on public display.

Exactly my point, Jim. The SUV I mentioned gives all of that information and then some.

[Scott Shepherd]

Yes, it's true, criminals have been around for a long time. They were here long before the internet, true. However, criminals love to take the path of least resistance, not the path with the most resistance. Handing them all this info makes YOU the path of least resistance and makes YOU more vulnerable than someone that posts none of that info.

I don't have to be perfectly clean in my internet dealings. All I have do is it be cleanER than someone else, which makes them the target, not me.

There was long long heated debate about this once before on this forum, and it had to do with people using their actual real names online. Many older folks think it's fine and that's all that should be used and many tech savvy people thought it was putting information out that could be used to do exactly what's being talked about here.

Using a real name on the internet doesn't make anyone more honest than anyone else. It just makes you more vulnerable.

[Neal Clayton]

LOML and I have discussed this many times. I can't tell you how many times I've been behind a vehicle whose rear window tells me that they have 3 children, all of their names, Susie is a dancer, Sally goes to day care at First Baptist Academy, and Paul plays baseball for the Mytown Tigers, Dad graduated from Baylor, and they attend First Baptist Church. On the surface, no harm. But if a child predator sees it, walks over to the ball park and finds Paul (whose name is on the back of his shirt) and says, Hey Paul, Susie slipped at the dance recital and hurt her leg. The pastor at First Baptist wants me to bring you to the Church so he can take you and Sally home. YIKES! Way too much information on public display.

the funniest are the shady ones who wind up in jail for crap they put on facebook/text message/email/etc.

i mean, how stupid do you have to be, if you're doing something illegal, don't use your own cell phone and facebook account to talk about it?

not to mention facebook is the best tool a divorce attorney ever had.

[Mike Cruz]

The back of my truck tells people what kind of barrell they will find stuck between their nosey little eyes if they get "too close" to my personal life...

[Myk Rian]

Facebook privacy settings default is everyone can view your info. You have to change them one-by-one. A real PITA to do.

[Dan Hintz]

The back of my truck tells people what kind of barrell they will find stuck between their nosey little eyes if they get "too close" to my personal life...
Where did you find a wine barrel so small?

[Bill Cunningham]

The back of my truck tells people what kind of barrell they will find stuck between their nosey little eyes if they get "too close" to my personal life...

Some signs can make a difference!

A little sign in the top corner of my shop door says:
My home and business are protected
by the fine products of Smith & Wesson.
There is NOTHING on this property
worth your life..

Inside has a sign that says:
This property is protected by a silent alarm, and a noisy shotgun

I also have a small sign on the outside of the door that says:
If the door is locked, please don't shake it, it may set off the alarm.
The police get here pretty quick, but the dog arrives instantly.
You will be MUCH happier with the police..

[Mike Cruz]

Great signs, Bill. Love 'em!

[Neal Clayton]

you guys might try buying false security in the form of little cans of keychain mace/pepper spray instead. it's cheaper.

[Marty Paulus]

I hope all of you with GPS know not to have your house listed as 'home'. There was a case up here that a person had their car broke into at a college football game and they took the GPS and the door opener. Similar to the registration trick but with turn by turn directions to the house! Also be smart enough not to leave the unit in your vehicle while you are not.

[Zach England]

I just don't have anything worth stealing.