Today everyone who uses social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram is most likely utilizing this technology in some form – whether they realize it or not. When the GPS is linked to a phone’s camera, and you take a photo, your phone will tell you exactly where you were and when you took the photo. You can even pull up the photo on a map—down to the exact street. But, while you are letting friends and families know where you are with your posts, you are also at risk from burglars. They can then watch your postings and activities to find out when you aren’t home and break in.
So what can you do to protect yourself from the dangers of geotagging?
- Don’t publish photos directly from your phone (use a camera without GPS module)
- If you plan to publish photos taken with your phone, convert them to PNG file format and publish them from your desktop computer.
- Watch what you post. Think twice, about anything you put on the Internet.
- Disable the function on your iPhone before taking the picture and uploading it to social media.