The Safety Risks of Location Based Social Media
In the age of “too much information” many social networking sites are now adding location features. Twitter’s recent addition of adding a location to tweets has caused Twitter’s server to become overloaded many, many times in the past few weeks. We think it’s a sign.
On June 21, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed rumors that the site would be launching location-based features sometime in the future. Continuing rumors are swirling that Facebook’s location-based features may be a ploy to pull users of sites like Foursquare, Brightkite, and Gowalla back into the Facebook world.{Mashable}
Dubbed “check-in” sites, Foursquare, Brightkite, and Gowalla were all created with the idea of people being able to learn about the resources in their community from other people in the community. Users “check-in” when they arrive at a destination and can offer comments about the location. Users can also browse locations close to them to find a new restaurant, bar, or other attraction.
But all of these location-based network sites may not be the best thing for users. Facebook users have been robbed after posting their plans in status updates. {CNN} Meanwhile, Twitter users have been hit in a similar manner. {Social Reflections} Apparently, disclosing your location in a Tweet or status update is like hanging a banner over your front door that says, “We’re not home. Please take all of our stuff!!” Quite frankly, it seems that stalkers will have an easier time stalking with location updates.
Looking back to the unrest in Iran after their disputed elections, many protesters used Twitter to organize and communicate. Following the protests, which often turned violent, groups of hackers claiming to be an “Iranian cyber army” hacked Twitter, Baidu and a number of other large sites, which could have potentially sensitive data about anti-government activists. With the planned location based updates, spying on users could now be as simple as following or friending them – no advanced technical skills required. While the threat to most Americans may not be in the form of a cyber army or violent militia, it’s only a matter of time before a more serious crime results from location updates.
We’re not ones to wear tin-foil hats, but it’s certainly worth remembering that when it comes to announcing your plans and location, not everyone who follows is a friend.
