US Army warns about the risks of revealing your location on facebook and adds that it could help ter
17 replies, posted
[QUOTE]In 2007, a fleet of US Army helicopters flew into a base in Iraq. Soldiers took pictures on the flight and then uploaded them to the internet.
Based on the automatic geotagging applied to photos by almost every smartphone on the market, the enemy determined the exact location of the helicopters inside the compound and launched a mortar attack that destroyed four AH-64 Apaches.
With geotagging growing ubiquitous, soldiers are being asked to ponder this question: "Is a badge on Foursquare worth your life?"
The question was posed by Brittany Brown, social media manager of the Online and Social Media Division at the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, and included in a release put out last week to warn soldiers of the security risks of geotagging.
Beyond smartphones' built-in photo geotagging, location-based social media applications and platforms are rife: Foursquare, Gowalla, SCVNGR, Shopkick, Loopt and Whrrl are examples of GPS-enabled technology that are typically found in phones and that publish users' location in exchange for rewards such as discounts, badges or points to encourage frequent check-ins.
And Steve Warren, deputy G2 for the Maneuver Center of Excellence, or MCoE, pointed out that uploading smartphone pictures to Facebook is another example of how a service member can inadvertently broadcast the exact location of their unit.
As reported by the BBC, the British Army has banned the use of mobile phones in operational zones such as Afghanistan and cautions soldiers against taking pictures on smartphones under any circumstances.
But the US Army also warned against anyone using geotagging, not just soldiers, saying it really does expose anyone who uses it.
check-inOne example is Facebook's new Timeline feature, which includes a map tab of all the locations a user has tagged. Such a wealth of information, freely available to anybody tagged as a "friend" on Facebook, basically represents a Dummies Guide to Stalking.
Here's how the risks of Timeline were described by Staff Sgt. Dale Sweetnam, of the Online and Social Media Division:
Some [Facebook users] have hundreds of "friends" they may never have actually met in person. By looking at someone's map tab on Facebook, you can see everywhere they've tagged a location. You can see the restaurants they frequent, the gym they go to everyday, even the street they live on if they're tagging photos of their home. Honestly, it's pretty scary how much an acquaintance that becomes a Facebook "friend" can find out about your routines and habits if you're always tagging location to your posts.
Bear in mind that most geotagging-enabled applications allow users to limit who can see their check-ins to friends or friends of friends. That's a security feature that's wise to take advantage of.
Here are the Army's rules of thumb for both enlisted personnel and for civilians when it comes to staying geo-safe:
Don't friend someone if you haven't met them in person. "Make sure you're careful about who you let into your social media circle," Sweetnam said.
Even if there's nothing classified about an individual's location, a series of locations posted online over the course of a month can create a pattern that criminals can use.
Disable the geotagging feature on your phone.
Check your security settings to see who you're sharing check-ins with. MCoE OPSEC officer Kent Grosshans noted that if somebody knows that your spouse is deployed, for example, they'll also know that 1) your spouse isn't home and 2) where your house is.
As Officer Grosshans noted, the same applies to safety for children. Do you really want the entire world to know where your child goes to school?
His advice:
Be conscious of what information you're putting out there. Don't share information with strangers. Once it's out there, it's out there. There's no pulling it back.[/QUOTE]
[EMAIL="http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/03/14/us-army-warns-about-the-risks-of-geotagging/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=status+message&utm_campaign=naked+security"]http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/03/14/us-army-warns-about-the-risks-of-geotagging/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=status+message&utm_campaign=naked+security[/EMAIL]
Soldiers and Officers alike in the U.S. Army are taking extended OpSec classes regarding Geo-tagging and using Facebook. They're also talking about confiscating smartphones and limiting social networking usage for the duration of deployments because of the massive security risk it poses.
Recently took and finished the classes myself; the shit you'd never know about...
At first I thought they meant the general population. But they are actually talking about the Soldiers and the like. Kind of makes sense, you wouldn't want your enemy to know where you are, especially if it could cost lives.
I'm doing internship at a school, one section of it includes military training (just the theory part, though). Not even the students are allowed to tell ANYTHING secret on Facebook or any other outsiders. Of course they can tell some things, if it's not secret/threatening.
I would've thought that the US army would have had protocol regarding the photographing of their operations, no matter how mundane.
My Dad's an engineer, and I did my work experience at RAAF airfield, or the army base nearby it. I wasn't allowed to take in anything with a camera, and there's nothing top secret there.
On another note I can't stand the blatant violation of privacy Facebook is doing to its users. It isn't even like once you delete your account the information is wiped, it's still there.
[QUOTE=Lionlive;35134265]On another note I can't stand the blatant violation of privacy Facebook is doing to its users. It isn't even like once you delete your account the information is wiped, it's still there.[/QUOTE]
And they also track your shit with cookies. What sites you visit, how often you visit them, what you download, etc. They're easy as hell to delete, it just gets really annoying every time you log in is all.
[QUOTE=LunchboxOfDoom;35134299]And they also track your shit with cookies. What sites you visit, how often you visit them, what you download, etc. They're easy as hell to delete, it just gets really annoying every time you log in is all.[/QUOTE]
Oh no. My worst fear is that facebook will publish the sites I've visited lately on my wall.
It's common sense shit really
[QUOTE=Garik;35134429]Oh no. My worst fear is that facebook will publish the sites I've visited lately on my wall.[/QUOTE]
I honestly wouldn't doubt they would do that
When they enable you to see who has viewed your photos, hell on earth will happen.
I thought that it was common sense not to enable the location you took it at?
Surely in the interests of OpSec they should have determined that mobile phone usage for nonessential communications in a war zone was damn stupid at any time? Jesus.
"Sup guys I'm at coordinates 34°31′59″N 69°09′58″E** bout to kill me some terrorists in this top secret mission lol"
Al Qaeda likes this.
[quote]#R_Johnson
bout to snipe osama lol fucker won't c it coming[/quote]
Disabling the geotagging feature is not difficult. I turned it off on mine.
Also, I don't use Facebook, because FB sucks.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;35136511]"Sup guys I'm at coordinates 34°31′59″N 69°09′58″E** bout to kill me some terrorists in this top secret mission lol"
Al Qaeda likes this.[/QUOTE]
1 comment
Al Qaeda-- LOL come at us bros! We're half a mile south of there nd are totally gonna ambush you guys.
OH ALSO, we on for brunch next week?