Geotagging: Who Is Watching You?

ByMark Mahaffey

It sounds like a futuristic sci-fi fantasy. But the future is here.

The photos and videos that you take with your smartphone and then post online may be revealing your location to anyone who views the photo. It's called geotagging.

What is Geotagging?

Geotagging is the process of adding geographical information to a photo, video, website or RSS feed. This information reveals your exact longitude and latitude when the picture was taken. Often the tagging is done using geo-coordinates and GPS or global positioning system data.

Is it accurate? Absolutely. The geotags can identify location within a meter of where the photo was taken.

Metadata: What it is and Why You Should Care

The data that is being embedded in the pictures is called metadata. Metadata is hidden information not readily seen by the normal viewer.

But with some simple technology (available online), this information is easily captured and read. Online software can scan the photos and produce the embedded coordinates. Once the coordinates are noted, Google street maps offer a convenient way to pinpoint exact addresses and street views.

Not every phone embeds the metadata in the photos and videos, but many do. The phone must have a built-in GPS in order to add geotags to photos.

Legitimate Uses for Geotagging

This technoloty can be helpful for some people. For example, law enforcement officers who are solving crimes or getting help to those who need it may depend on it. Further, photographers find it useful as they catalogue and systematize their work.

A Criminal's Dream

But dangers of geotagging lurk all around.

The implications for security are staggering. Many people don't think twice about snapping a picture of the kitchen table they have for sale and posting it on Craigslist. Or the expensive jewelry they are trying to sell. But if the camera they are using is tagging the photos, any thief can learn the precise location of seller's home and help himself to the items. If the seller has also listed the best times to be reached by phone, the thief now also has an idea of when the home might be empty.

Stalking is also a real danger when it comes to geotagging. Twitter photos, Facebook photos, and casual snapshots on blogs can all give stalkers information about their victims-where they live, what their favorite restaurants are, where they shop, etc. In essence, it is like leaving a digital trail to be analyzed and followed. A quick scan with software and a comparison with Google street maps is all it takes. The result? Address and street view.

Turn it Off

Some people don't mind their information being public. But others do. If you are among those who do not want their photos tagged with geographical coordinates, you can turn it off.

The settings can be changed on any phone that embeds this metadata. Why is it turned on in the first place? Perhaps when the phone was purchased, the salesperson didn't mention the feature, or if she did, the implications of having it activated weren't immediately obvious.

Some of the phones that have this feature include:

• iPhone

• Blackberry

• Palm

• Google Android

To turn off this feature, navigate to settings, and then find an option that is titled something similar to "location," "location services," or "GPS." With some phones, this feature may have to be turned off multiple times as it is associated with different applications.

If you would like to learn more about disabling geotagging on your phone, Ben Jackson and Larry Pesce can help. They provide detailed instructions on their website. Visit http://icanstalku.com/how.php

Protect Yourself

Search for disabling software. There are software programs available for download right to your iPhone that will scan your outgoing information for geotags and then remove it.

If you have images stored on Flicker that you suspect might have location information embedded, you can do a batch GPS delete. Choose the photos that you want to edit, and then from the location menu, select 'change geoprivacy,' and then 'remove map information.'

Do your friends post pictures of you online? If so, be aware that their cameras and phones might be embedding location information as well.

Geotagging can be helpful and lifesaving technology. But in the wrong hands, it is dangerous. You can stay safe by being aware of its presence and by being in control of your own information.

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