Instagram and Geotagging - Warning to Parents!

[Guest]

If you use Instagram, read this.
If you have kids who use Instagram, read it twice.

Instagram uses something called geotagging, which simply means that photos can show where they were taken or uploaded on a map.
Depending on how closed or open the user's privacy settings are, savvy people with bad intentions can freely use the information to their advantage.

There's a new website at, I Know Where Your Cat Lives, which attempts to raise awareness to this issue through a humorous approach.

If you're not up for cat pics, then try Instagram Photo Feed on the Web - Gramfeed.
Use the search utility to search for pictures, users by name, location, etc.
Search Instagram Photos, People, Places - Gramfeed

Let's say I was a crook looking to score in the Denver area.
Search Instagram Photos by Location - Gramfeed

After I find something I like, I use the map feature to dial right in to the exact location.


Pay attention to what you and your kids are doing with today's technology!

The site will eventually prompt you to login, but all one needs is an Instagram account or a basic knowledge of computers to get around that requirement.

 

[proneshooter]

That is but one of the many reasons why my child will not have mobile access to the internet until she is an adult.

Fuck. That. Shit.

 

[Punisher29073]

I hate social media.

Ryan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[roggom]

Its not just instagram and other social media. Taking pics with iphones and androids can stamp the pics as well. It is called exif. I have seen some trophy pics here on the hide of "secret spots" lol not so secret.

http://regex.info/exif.cgi just paste a pic or a link.

 

[Rhyno]

If you take any photo with any sort of gps your photos are tagged.

This is not an instagram thing.

This is how they've caught criminals and members of anonymous (who should no better but got cocky)


Also this is how you can easily tell if a photo is faked. Well one way.

 

[Guest]

This is completely different from Exif data.
The Instagram app uses the phone's location services to map where you were when the photo was uploaded, not when it was taken.
In some ways, that makes it more dangerous, because many people snap pics and upload them when they get home.

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

This is messed up. Thanks for posting.

 

[Smcarroll]

Between things like this and the fact that parenting is a dying art its amazing we don't see more children going missing. When it comes down to it anyone posting anything on the internet can be traced.

 

[Guest]

It's easy enough to turn these features off, but the problem is that most apps and devices turn them on by default.
I'd like to see some laws requiring that the defaults be set the other way. But no law is a viable substitute for being a good parent.
You HAVE to know this stuff these days. Like it or not.

 

[Guest]

I have coached several friends on their kids' online exposure.
Kids are ridiculously naive about it.
I have showed plenty of people that their kids have "friends" they don't even know.
Kids accept the friend and follow requests, because they equate the number of friends and followers with popularity and status.

 

[roggom]

Instagram and Geotagging - Warning to Parents!

If taken with a smartphone the exif embeds the gps data into the pic. It also displays time date and other info. Photoshop etc. it does not matter if the pic was taken and then emailed, stored on a cd then uploaded. If the exif is not stripped the info is still there. I have an example of a hunters pic. Come to find out he took the animal very close to were I hunt. All you do is right click on the image copy image URL and paste it in the link I provided. It will give geo location. You click google or mapquest and it will zoom you right to the spot.

Now this is a hunting spot. It is scary if it was one of my kids taking innocent " selfies" and posting them online. Then again I forbid my kids from using Facebook.

Not all pics will have this data. Especially if the feature is turned off on the phone. So hopefully hiders will check their kids phones and turn the feature off.

Just go to settings / privacy / location / camera and turn it off. If they have pics which were taken when the feature was on. Turn the feature off then bring up the pic and do a screenshot. That new pic can be shared.

The exif can come in handy especially if you are buying something off craigslist or even the hide.

Op thanks for the heads up on Instagram.

 

[Guest]

Again, Instagram is not using Exif data.
It uses the phone's location services. The data is not embedded on the Instagram photos. It is attached through the app in a parallel process.

https://help.instagram.com/111582485669454

________________________________________________

How do I make sure nobody sees my Photo Map? Can I deactivate it?:
To make sure that nothing shows up on your Photo Map, you should review your Photo Map and deselect all photos. Also, if you never review your map, your photos will never be added to your Photo Map.


Can people can see where I live from my Photo Map?:
We ask that you're mindful of which photos you add to your Photo Map during the initial review process since locations will be visible to people who can see your posts.
If you've geotagged a group of photos near your home or another location you'd prefer not to share, you'll be able to remove the entire photos from your map during the review process or by going to your Photo Map and then tapping Edit.


Where else do my geotagged photos appear outside of my Photo Map?:
Geotagged photographs are visible on some third-party services that use our API, like gramfeed.com and web.stagram.com. Photos tagged with a location will also appear on that location’s page, and the location name will be visible on the photo's share URL.

Note: If someone sets their photos to private, the photos won't be visible to people that aren't following them. This includes photos on location and hashtag pages.