Brits may be making it easier for robbers to gain access to our homes than we think, thanks to a new website PleaseRobMe.com, which has highlighted the idea that by Tweeting your whereabouts you’re telling the world you’re not at home and therefore free to be robbed.
Please Rob Me works by searching for user updates from the online game Foursquare, in which users “check in” to different locations through the GPS function on their smartphones.
These locations can then be automatically updated to Twitter, which is where Please Rob Me draws its robber “opportunity” feed from.
The founders of PleaseRobMe.com, which is based in the Netherlands, claim to have built the site to raise awareness of the dangers of posting your location online.
“It started with me and a friend looking at our Twitter feeds and seeing more and more Foursquare posts,” said one of the site’s developers, Boy Van Amstel.
“People were checking in at their house, or their girlfriend’s or friend’s house, and sharing the address – I don’t think they were aware of how much they were sharing,” he said.
The developers said that Please Rob Me only took a few hours to create, and basically works as a live Twitter search.
“Anyone who can do HTML and javascript can do this. You could almost laugh at how easy it is.”
Despite the site’s domain name, Mr Van Amstel said that the site should not be used for illegal purposes.
“The goal of this website is to raise some awareness on this issue and have people think about how they use services like Foursquare, Brightkite, Google Buzz etc,” the site explains.
“Our intention is not, and never has been, to have people burglarised.”
While there may not be such a thing as safe location-sharing at present, Please Rob Me at least makes us aware of the security risks involved the next time you Tweet from Paris.
Have you shared your whereabouts online? Leave us a comment and let us know.
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Tags: foursquare, Internet, Online, security, social networking, Twitter
