Let me preface by saying this post really has nothing to do with firearms or carrying them. It is straying a bit from the scope of the content I want to put here, but as a gun owner who carries for personal protection, there are always other aspects of security that need to be looked at.
A few weeks ago I noticed quite a few people using an application called Foursquare, on Twitter. If you are unfamiliar, Foursquare is a mobile phone app that allows you to ‘check-in’ at public locations such as restaurants and grocery stores. It then shares that information with the social media networks of your choice.
There is some social media tools or websites that I understand, and others that I do not. Foursquare was one of the latter. I wanted to know why people used it so much, so I downloaded it and started using it. The app turned out to be a game. Check in somewhere, get some points, earn badges, and titles. Now I understand – who doesn’t like earning things, even if trivial?
The one thing that stuck out to me most, after figuring out what specifically this does, and looking at most of the Foursquare check-ins I saw on my timeline in Twitter, one thing I quickly realized was that this is a great tool for someone looking to do you harm. My very first big observation on this was noticing a lot of female people using it to check in, publicly displaying where they are at, on Twitter, so anyone who was viewing their feed could see. If you have a stalker, or someone looking to find an easy target to rob or rape viewing your check-ins, they know exactly where to find you!
So how can you use Foursquare and lessen this risk? The only true way is to not use it, but there are some steps you can take to lessen your exposure. Don’t share to Twitter or Facebook, keep your check-ins inside the app only. Another option is to not update your check-ins until after you’ve actually left the place you’re checking into.
While using this application I got to where I actually enjoyed earning the points you get for checking it. (I’m easily amused, leave me alone)
This past weekend I had checked-in to a few places and pushed those check-ins out to Twitter. Miguel from GunFreeZone.net replied to one of them, asking something to the effect of: “why are you broadcasting that you’re not home and its a good time to go rob your home?”
To that I say excellent question, and its a two-part answer. The first reason is, I am still using this app because I find it fun (the points thing – again, easily amused!) and I have been using it as I was preparing this post (and another article meant for a tech site I am still working on!) The second reason is my own laziness. Most of my check ins using this app have never been publicized. You have the option of not sharing. In this case, I did not unselect the sharing options when I posted them – because I was being lazy.
Now, Miguel brings up another great point. When you are publicly checking in at Starbucks, everyone who sees that check in will figure you are not at home. On Twitter, anyone can view the posts you push out, except for Twitter handles that you have specifically blocked. If someone has been looking to rob your home, and has been watching you, and somehow has found out your social media profiles, or if you have an acquaintance that’s not so good – they know right when to bust in and take your stuff.
Using social media is fun, but think about what you’re doing with it. I know it sounds paranoid, but your safety may just depend on it.
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