Although it’s been in the news, most people still don’t know about the dangers of GEOTagging. Most Smartphone’s and some cameras made today are equipped with geo tags. Geo tags are embedded in the picture and use the same concept as GPS.
Here’s how it works. You take pictures and the exact longitude and latitude coordinates of your location are digitally embedded in the photo. When you email or post the picture online, the information reveals your exact location and address.
Although Facebook and craigslist do not reveal GEOTagging information on their sites, many other popular sites including Twitpic and flickr still show the GEOTagging information. And when you upload pictures to those sites, you are putting you and your family at risk.
There are stalkers, rapists, pedophiles, and robbers out there looking for opportunities. It’s most dangerous when you take pictures from your home because you’re giving the exact location of the people seen in that picture, and for robbers you’re showing items they may want to steal.
If someone dangerous has a fascination with someone in the picture, they now know where to find them. Even pictures of places you go to regularly like parks or play grounds can be dangerous because the offender can hang out there and wait for you or your kids to show up.
To protect yourself, disable the GEOTagging feature. The details showing you how to do this should be in your instruction manual. If you can’t find it there then try calling the manufacturer or the company where you purchased the item.
If you’ve already uploaded pictures on to sites that show the GEOTagging information, then it’s out there and you can’t change that. However, if you’ve taken pictures and haven’t turned off the GEOTagging feature yet and those pictures have only been uploaded to your computer, then you can download a free program that will allow you to wipe the GEOTagging information. Once that information is wiped, you are safe to share them.
Do a Google search for Geotag Security and you’ll find a free version of software that will wipe each of the pictures you tell it to wipe. For a small fee you’ll even find software that will automatically detect and delete the information from all pictures including ones you may have missed.
Technology is moving fast and we’re all enjoying the benefits, but we need to realize that we may also be putting safety at risk. It’s not worth. Protecting ourselves and our families need to be our number one priority.
Copyright © 2011 / Protect Yourself, LLC
Michael Gier is a fraud prevention expert and the host of Protect Yourself TV, an internet TV show teaching people how to avoid the day to day activities that put them at risk: http://www.ProtectYourself.tv. Michael Gier is a professional public speaker, the co-author of the book “Keeping A Lock On Your Identity – How To Keep What Is Rightfully Yours,” and is available to the media for television, radio, and newspaper interviews.
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