PleaseRobMe

[Don]

Website reveals dangers of social networks

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8521598.stm

A website called PleaseRobMe claims to reveal the location of empty homes based on what people post online.

The Dutch developers told BBC News the site was designed to prove a point about the dangers of sharing precise location information on the internet.

The site scrutinises players of online game Foursquare, which is based on a person's location in the real world.

PleaseRobMe extracts information from players who have chosen to post their whereabouts automatically onto Twitter.

"It started with me and a friend looking at our Twitter feeds and seeing more and more Foursquare posts," said Boy Van Amstel, one of PleaseRobMe's developers.

"People were checking in at their house, or their girlfriend's or friend's house, and sharing the address - I don't think they were aware of how much they were sharing."

Mr Van Amstel, Frank Groeneveld and Barry Borsboom realised that not only were people sharing detailed location information about themselves and their friends, they were also by default broadcasting when they were away from their own home.

The website took just four hours to create.

"It's basically a Twitter search - nothing new," said Mr Van Amstel. "Anyone who can do HTML and javascript can do this. You could almost laugh at how easy it is."

He said that the site would remain live but stressed it was not created to encourage crime.

"The website is not a tool for burglary," he said. "The point we're getting at is that not long ago it was questionable to share your full name on the internet. We've gone past that point by 1000 miles."

Mr Van Amstel added that in practice it would be "very difficult" to use the information on the website to carry out a burglary.

Charity Crimestoppers advises people to think carefully about the information they choose to share on the internet.

"We urge users of Twitter, Facebook or other social networks to stop and think before posting personal details online that could leave them vulnerable to crimes including burglary and identity theft," said a spokesperson.

"Details posted online are available for the world to see; you wouldn't hang a sign on your door saying you're out, so why would you post it online?"

[Ehwmatt]

Exactly why statusing every extended night out in advance or every weekend trip is retarded.

I'm an open person, but no one cares about that shit and it can even lead to enterprising criminals victimizing you one way or another, as this article shows.

[Michigan Girl]

The criminals are the ones who started ...
I'm out of town right now, 10 hours away from home won't be back until next weekend, oh, I hope I didn't leave my door unlocked.. :shock:
Then stupid Cindy saw it and said, "hey, great idea ...I'll let all my people know my every move."

[Rip Rokken]

Exactly why statusing every extended night out in advance or every weekend trip is retarded.

I'm an open person, but no one cares about that shit and it can even lead to enterprising criminals victimizing you one way or another, as this article shows.

Also a reason "out of office" e-mail notifications have been criticized, besides just confirming to all the incoming spammers that they've reached a legit e-mail address.