Smartphones: How predators find their victims!

Question

I'm sure many of you know this already, but I never thought of this and the thought shocked me.

Child predators are now able to find out the location of your children and teens by using the GPS technology on smartphones. Any time you take a picture using a smartphone without disenabling the GPS feature, that information is available on each and every picture that you post to the web on Facebook and other social networking sites. So even if you are doing something as innocent as posting pics of your child's birthday party or baseball game, predators can pinpoint the exact location and know where to find your child.

I just thought I would pass this along. The criminals are always two steps ahead of us it seems!

Keeping Predators Away!

Does anyone else have a tip or something they have heard that can protect innocent people from these sorts of crimes? Please share....you could save a life!!!

Answer 1

Just to mention it, this metadata is not something that you can see just by looking at the photo. You must have a software program that allows you to read the metadata that the picture has stored.

Here is a link to a free program that reads the metadata in case you wish to try it out. (reading the photo's data; not tracking down kids)

Being able to store metadata on imagaes has all kinds of advantages. I don't think that it was created for pedophiles.

I'm glad you clarified that last bit! ;-) - Gillygaloo, Mar 31, 2011

Speaking as barely computer literate, does metadata provide any additional info other than location? - Nicole-B, Mar 31, 2011

Answer 2

Yes Quentin I should have mentioned that it takes a little effort and the right software to do this, but you know what they say..."Where there is a will there is a way." This is meant for positive goals, but criminals use it as well.

Being able to store metadata on imagaes has all kinds of advantages. I don't think that it was created for pedophiles.

As usual, even the best inventions and advances in technology can be turned into something unintentionally horrific. I'm guessing that my kids will be a bit more technically savvy than I am by the time they have children. But it just seems that things are changing so quickly lately that unless you are gifted in this area....as our friend Quentin and others in the forum are, technology and its potential evils can seem a bit overwhelming at times.

That is why I am hoping for more tips from our computer elite here and from anyone else who has heard something interesting or helpful to add!