Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Status Updates: How much should you share?

This week's post was prompted by the latest entry on the facebook blog that introduces deals, a new mobile facebook application that allows local business to offer deals when you check into their place on facebook.

Place page on iPhone application

This app works in conjunction with places, a mobile facebook application that allows you to share your location with friends online by "checking in" to the place you are at.

Super convenient right? You can go to a local restaurant you already planned on eating at and take advantage of the deal they are offering once you "check in" to the place on your phone. If your original choice is not offering a deal that day, there's a good chance that one of the restaurants on the "nearby places" page is.

With the places app, you can check in friends that are with you by tagging them. This information is important because we all want to share what we are doing with status updates, meet up with friends that are near the same places we are, etc.

All the reasons for the creation of these applications are the same reasons most of us have a facebook or twitter, and updating your status with your whereabouts throughout the day seems fun and harmless. But is it really?

It's cool that people know where you are, but when you "check in" to a place with the places app or similar apps like foursquare you are also giving away some information about where you are not...like at home.

This can be a danger even if you are not using these applications yourself. For example, your friend just came over and "checked in" to your home or apartment. Now, your address is on the internet for tons of people to see, many of whom you probably don't know.


Foursquare application as seen on pleaserobme.com
Great attention has been brought to this issue through a website dedicated to raising awareness about it, and is appropriately called Please Rob Me. It points to the danger that twitter updates and other social media updates can have when it leads to your location.

The whole point is that posting about your location through social media is not full proof. There is no built in security with these applications or status updates that says someone will not use the information against you.

Most of us would not give our home address to a stranger, so what is so different about saying where you are online with the same information?

Nothing is different, all the potential risks are still present...it just seems safe because people do not think about getting robbed or stalked through social networks like facebook.

Crime can happen anywhere, even in cyberspace. If you don't believe me, check out this story that points to the rise in cyber crime due to the popularity of the iPhone.

Given the topic of this post, I think the same warnings I mentioned in my first post about censoring your updates and keeping in mind the large audience of the web are appropriate. For other tips on how to ensure your privacy online, check out my last post that gave some helpful tips.


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