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Geotagging photos endangers children

Most newer digital cameras and phones that can take pictures geotag photos. This process puts location information (including zip codes) on the photo. Sharing of geotagged photos carries that information along with it.

The practice of sharing geotagged photos on Flickr and other web sites can be dangerous for children.

Sharing a geotagged photo can allow a child predator to locate your child and it can also alert a kidnapper to the location of a child.

New research by Joanne Kuzma of the University of Worcester England published in the International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics and reviewed at the Alpaha Galileo web site on February 9, 2012, examined the relationship between geotagging and Flickr.

Kuzma found that the 50 most expensive places to live in the United States had posted geotagged photos of children on Flickr. An invitation to a kidnapping is implied.

Geotagged information can be controlled by changing the settings on your phone or camera. This can protect your children if you opt to share photos on social networks.

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Kusma, J. et al, "Children and geotagged images: quantitative analysis for security risk assessment" in International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics, 2012, 4, 54-64

, Birmingham Science News Examiner

Bryan Hamaker is a Chemist and Mathematician. He developed a coating for beer cans that two billion people use daily. Expertise in metal, lubricants, and coatings. Make new science understandable and useable to anybody.

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