March 20, 2011
Russ Ptacek
11/9/2010
Pictures you’ve e-mailed or uploaded from your smartphone could be leaking location information threatening your safety or that of your children.
“Perfect, just like that,” cooed NBC Action News staffer Susanne McDonald to her four-year-old daughter Laine as she took a series of smartphone pictures. “Ready? One, two, three! Good Girl.”
We loaned McDonald and Laine a smartphone to see just how threatening a seemingly innocent snapshot could be once loaded online.
Police are concerned
“It’s frightening,” said Leawood School Resource Police Officer Mark Chudik when we showed him what we had uncovered.
We combed Twitter and sites like Facebook , Craig’s List, and Photobucket .
We searched by entering the names of area cities. We easily identified the home addresses and play areas of children whose pictures were posted by their parents.
“That is legitimately terrifying,” said McDonald when we showed her information we obtained from pictures she posted of daughter Laine.
It’s a new and frightening threat to parents.
