I’ve been meaning to write this post for about a month now, but wanted to wait until I got all of the details before I created it. On almost a daily basis we see alerts regarding Facebook and their security issues, but have we stopped to take a look at how much of a personal security breach that the location based apps impose on us? I am going to use the check-ins from one of our “friends” as an example, for obvious reasons I won’t use their name and have received permission from them to post the schedule.
6:55- checked in at the gym
8:15- checked in at a school
9:00- checked in at the office
1:15- checked in at a restaurant
6:30- checked in at a gas station
6:45- checked in at another restaurant
8:00- checked in at a store
Although these times are approximate, it does show the exact location that this person checked into, and not only was this the schedule for that day, but it became very repetitive. The only change that was noticed was the events in the evening and the one at mid day. So what does that tell me?
First off, it tells me that the person goes to a gym everyday, where they go to the gym, and about what time. After that it tells me that the person takes their child to school, and where the school is. Then it goes on to tell when the person is supposed to be at work and where their place of employment is located. I can admit that I am guilty of using my phone to check in at many different places but have since learned how much of an issue these “check-ins” really were. A lot has changed in my personal life recently so none of the previous check-ins matter, but I pay close attention to the different places I check into now.
Location based apps are very important tools if used correctly, and the types of applications can be broken down into two categories:
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- Social Apps- The two most popular location based apps are Foursquare and SCVNGR. They are both “fun” apps and pretty simple, they let you check in to places, share where you are on social media sites and also let you post tips on a particular business. Recently Foursquare added the capability to include photos, something that SCVNGR has done from the beginning. I consider these social apps because not much focus is actually put on commenting on the business, so not much information is provided to me as a consultant.
- Informational Apps- Yelp and Urbanspoon come to mind when I think about informational apps. These applications are meant to share the customers experience, and provides me with a ton of information that can tell me exactly how a business is doing. Although both of these apps allow “check-ins”, they both have websites that contain all of the comments, tips and advice and are viewable from any phone or computer. These applications provide me with a massive amount of information that is not only useful to the customer, but also the business owner. It tells me how they conduct business and also how they handle issues with customer complaints.
My purpose of this post is to not discourage people from use location based apps, but to spread awareness of how dangerous they may be. When it comes to my family, I do not want their security jeopardized so that I can become “mayor” of the local Taco Bell. Be smart about where you check in and what you say, because all of the information that you provide is shared with the rest of the world!
