Safety First: Are You Safe from Online Stalkers? How You May Be Inadvertently Compromising Your Personal Safety
Just when you thought it was safe to send a photo….
I was so excited when I bought my first smart phone. I was one of those “bad” moms who never remembered to bring a camera along to the playground, birthday party or school events. Then, once I had a camera built into the object that never was out of my hand – voila la! – multitasking at its best!
What I didn’t realize was that the cute photos I took of my darling daughter on the swings at the local park and then posted to my Facebook page had, embedded within them, the exact longitude and latitude of where the photo was taken.
That’s right, any predator with the touch of a keypad would be able to tell which park my kids played at. If I posted several photos around town and at home, it’s conceivable that someone who the help of a bit of pattern software could predict my whereabouts throughout the day.
It’s called geotagging and what most people don’t know is the ability to “tag” the exact location of a photo is on all smart phones. What’s even worse is the tagging function is usually automatically enabled or the ability to tag photos not exposed as an option.
Getting the location information off your photos is critical – for the same reasons you choose not to post your home address on Facebook. Fortunately, there’s a great site, I Can Stalk U that walks you through how to disable geotagging on your particular smart phone.
Geotagging is just another example of how our children are growing up in a world with vastly different threats than what we grew up with. Whether it’s the issue of geotagging or sexting, our kids have to become more aware of how their online actions can and will effect them in their future.
Talk to Your Kids about Protecting their Identity Online
- Images from their phone that are uploaded to Facebook or other social media site will stay in the virtual world forever for all potential employers and college admissions professionals to see
- Sharing user names and passwords with anyone, including good friends, girlfriends and boyfriends, opens them up to having their reputations destroyed through fake postings or photos
- If they have posted photos of themselves and are now facing “sextortion”, the threat from someone posting those photos in other places unless they agree to pose for other ones or be extorted in some other manner, they should report it to the proper authorities as it is a criminal offense.
Sadly, the good old days when life was simple are long gone. Today, our kids are facing so many more issues than we ever did. It’s up to us to help them become cautious and savvy when it comes to their protecting their safety online.
About Alison Rhodes
Alison Rhodes, The Safety Mom, is a family safety and wellness expert. After experiencing the death of her first child from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Alison became committed to saving children's lives and keeping all kids safe and healthy. Alison is a frequent guest on shows including The Today Show, Fox & Friends, CNN International and The Doctors. Her newsletter and blog reach thousands of parents every month with tips and advice that help them sort through the hype and get to the facts. Her weekly radio show, “Keeping It Together With Alison, The Safety Mom” provides parents advice on staying happy, safe and sane. Alison is the mom of three children, the oldest with intellectual disabilities.
Alison is the mom of three children, the oldest with intellectual disabilities.