The Hidden Security Risk of Geotags

pickens writes "The NY Times reports that security experts and privacy advocates have begun warning consumers about the potential dangers of geotags, which are embedded in photos and videos taken with GPS-equipped smartphones and digital cameras. By looking at geotags of uploaded photos, 'you can easily find out where people live, what kind of things they have in their house and also when they are going to be away,' says one security expert. Because the location data is not visible to the casual viewer, the concern is that many people may not realize it is there; and they could be compromising their privacy, if not their safety, when they post geotagged media online."

Help!

[TyFoN]

Help, they can see me going into my house!
They will know where i live..
WHERE IS MY TIN FOIL HAT?!?!

Pictures can tell the future?

[volfreak]

OP states "By looking at geotags of uploaded photos, 'you can easily find out where people live, what kind of things they have in their house and also when they are going to be away,'..." How can uploaded photos tell someone when I am going to be away? Can pictures now show us what we'll be seeing and where at some point in time in the future? Neat... So, what setting do I use for my DSLR to get it to show me where I'll be going and when I'll be away? I want to see what's ahead of me.... Maybe it can show that I am currently away but how can it show when I'm going to be... anything? Oh, now I get it... I should take a picture of my airline tickets or hotel booking and post those on line... Yeah, that's how they'll know....

Re:The Hidden Danger of Post Marks on Letters

[Anonymous Coward]

Right, who would have ever thought that taking pictures of your stuff, then posting those pictures online would let people know what kind of stuff you have?

Probably the same kind of idiots that can't notice the difference between a blog post and a Facebook login page [readwriteweb.com]?

Re:The Hidden Danger of Post Marks on Letters

[rundgong]

Yeah, you are absolutely right, the location is not that big of a deal. What's worse is that the pictures have dates embedded.
With the dates there on your vacation pictures the thieves can just go back in time and rob your house and know for sure that you wont be back for several days.

THIS is what we really need to be worried about.

Re:Help!

[PrecambrianRabbit]

WHERE IS MY TIN FOIL HAT?!?!

See, if your pictures of your tinfoil hat had geolocation data attached on them, you'd be able to find it!

Re:This is why...

[Anonymous Coward]

I was recently alerted to a web site where people can post pics of themselves - with the url implying naked pics

Yeah, right. Man up and just post where you were surfing.

This is odd

[PPH]

It seems that quite a few geotags on the porn I download are at my house. The time stamps are when I'm at work.

Conditions apply

[jrumney]

By looking at geotags of uploaded photos, 'you can easily find out where people live, what kind of things they have in their house and also when they are going to be away,*'

[*] Separate purchase of time machine required for viewing geotags on photographs from the future.

Re:This is why...

[Anonymous Coward]

I was recently alerted to a web site where people can post pics of themselves - with the url implying naked pics. There were women there with iphone pics that had enough exif info to get their street address. I would venture to guess that when they put their pics there they didn't think it would be possible to determine who they were or where they live.

URL please?

Re:This is why...

[Anonymous Coward]

I never have to strip metadata out of my documents. I use this new-fangled format, in which you can see everything in the document! All of it, always.

It's called txt.