{"id":14164,"date":"2012-03-02T05:02:28","date_gmt":"2012-03-02T13:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mcafee.com\/?p=14164"},"modified":"2025-08-12T00:01:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T07:01:56","slug":"dont-let-location-based-services-put-you-in-danger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/dont-let-location-based-services-put-you-in-danger\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Let Location-Based Services Put You in Danger"},"content":{"rendered":"

Location-based services utilize geo-location information to publish your whereabouts. In some cases, these services can also provide discounts or freebies as a reward for \u201cchecking in\u201d at participating businesses and gathering \u201cpoints.\u201d These services can also be used to share photos and other media in real-time with your friends and followers.<\/p>\n

Geo-location or geo-tagging can be used on PCs, but is primarily applicable to mobile phones. The geo-location software usually obtains its data from your device\u2019s Internet protocol (IP) address or your global positioning System (GPS) longitude and latitude. Many of today\u2019s social networking sites are now incorporating\u00a0location-based services\u00a0that allow users to broadcast their locations via smartphone.<\/p>\n

Carnegie\u00a0Mellon\u00a0University\u00a0has identified<\/a> more than 80 location-sharing services that either lack privacy policies or collect and save user data for an indefinite period of time.<\/p>\n

Some companies have even adopted the technology, which they\u2019ve dubbed \u201cGPS dating,\u201d to connect singles with other local singles anywhere, any time. These dating services make it easy to find other users by providing photos and personal descriptions.<\/p>\n

This technology is immensely useful to predators, thieves, and other criminals, since it makes it so simple to determine where you are, and where you are not. They can access a full profile of your itinerary, all day, every day. Someone who is paying unwanted attention to you can see your exact address each time you \u201ccheck in.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the most extreme examples of the dangers posed by GPS-locators is the issue of domestic abuse victims who seek safety at a shelter; volunteers have adopted a policy of removing batteries from women\u2019s phones as soon as they arrive, so that abusers cannot track their victims to the shelter.<\/p>\n

Thieves use geo-location\u00a0to determine whether you are home or not, and then use that data to plan a burglary.<\/p>\n

Stalkers who use the phone\u2019s GPS\u00a0are usually close to the victim\u2014a family member or ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, for example\u2014and use their personal access to manually turn on GPS tracking.<\/p>\n

Protect Yourself Against GPS Tracking<\/h2>\n

To protect yourself from broadcasting your location, you should:<\/p>\n