Be on the look out for the hair-raising truths about a new app that warns of an end to internet privacy. It is called Creepy, a “geolocation information aggregator” created by Yiannis Kakavas. Many privacy rights advocates have raised their concern about the possible impact of this application to privacy. Should this really be a cause for worry?
Creepy was created by Kakavas for Linux or Windows. The third package that is still in process is for Mac OS X. Basically, this app pinpoints a user’s location by making use of the user’s data in social networking services. It can do this by collecting bits of the user’s data that is uploaded to the network and putting together bits of information. The software has just been launched but is already performing well.
Creepy has an in-built search utility to find any individual in the internet. All that the user has to do is to enter the Twitter or Flickr username of that individual then hit the “Geolocate Target” button. Creepy will then download all photos or tweets that the individual has published or posted. From each of the downloaded materials, Creepy will be specific with the user’s location at the time the material was published.
The software then aggregates each piece of information on hand to find a meaning. After processing, the user’s specific locations are offered by showing a map. Independently, these data on locations do not tell any significant information. But when aggregated as a whole, it has much to tell about the “target”. It shows his or her most frequented places or hang-outs, the vicinity around his or her house, and even his or her workplace. These bits of information are now enough to make him or her vulnerable to stalkers.
It only took three months for Kakavas to finish the program. He made use of existing data found in publicly available libraries like osmgpsmap, pyexif2, and tweepy. In his mind, Kakavas believes that he has created something that will encourage people to put more importance on their privacy. He would like to increase user awareness about the dangers of casual sharing of personal information online.
He explains that those small pieces of data can be easily put together in order to create more important information. It would be too late for users to realize that it would have been better if they kept those bits of information to themselves. These are the usual ones like address, place of work, the places they hang out most often – things that users normally consider as worthless.
He also said that Creepy is for social engineers to have a better means of information gathering. Creepy can be used to carry out penetration testing, especially for security analysts. Information that is gathered can be used for various purposes in later time.
Using a software application like Creepy pinpoints where you are all the time.. The opposite of this is to use an anonymous proxy to change your IP address which hides your actual location.
