PleaseRobMe website highlights dangers of telling world your location

[WhyaDuck?]

A website called PleaseRobMe has been launched to highlight the dangers of sharing too much information on the internet about your location.

The site pulls together updates on Twitter from people who publicly broadcast where they are at any given time, making the point that if they are in the pub, for instance, they are not at home and could be burgled.

More at:
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article7032820.ece


See also:
http://pleaserobme.com/

This site makes a pretty strong point - but just for robbery, but, even worse, for kidnapping and stalking. What compels people to do this sort of thing? So many claim cellphones are for safety, then they go and sabotage themselves.

Bah humbug.

 

[not_my_kids]

A group of people say that they are trying to shock people into realizing how unsafe they are when they post things like travel itineraries and vacation plans online.
They collect information sent out on social networking and other sites (mainly Twitter) that tell when people are not at home. Of course, the group maintains that this is not to tell the thieves where the best opportunities are, but to make people realize how unsafe they are are.
http://pleaserobme.com/

So, what do you guys think? Will this help at all in raising awareness of how dumb it is to tell the whole world that your home is open and unprotected or is this just another tool for the criminals that is protected under free speech and as public info?

I put it in current Events because it's being covered on HLN right now, if this is not the right spot, please move with my apologies.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Well, they say they want to offer/sell the site to a company that will focus on raising awareness.

Posting people's addresses online is not the best way to do this. I know these people are some of the biggest idiot's out there, posting their addresses online and when they are out of town. But you just know that there will be people who will *not* be using this for "awareness", as in people looking for empty homes. And they will be watching this site for one to pop up in their area.

 

[butwhatif?]

People do need to be more aware of the dangers of posting personal details and their current wherabouts online.

When I looked at my sisters FB the other I saw that on her page she had posted where she was going to be at a certain place and time.

I messaged her telling her how dangerous that was. She thought I was overreacting when I told her it means that anyone who looks at her page knows exactly where she was going to be.
#1 They could follow her there.
# 2 people will know that her house is empty and it could be robbed.

But this isn't just an online issue. For years people have used the obits in newspapers to know when the funeral is, so they can rob the house of the dead and the people attending the funeral.It's the lowest of the low, but it happens.

I dont think this particular website is going to help people to understand the dangers though. People don't want to believe that this kind of thing can and does happen.

JMO