Twitter A Tool For Thieves?

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Twitter A Tool For Thieves?

By Jason Lee Miller - Sat, 10/11/2008 - 23:56

Cue ominous music

Some small alarms have been raised over the possibility that Twitter and social media like it could be used as information sources for those with nefarious purposes.

Picture this: You’re at Starbucks enjoying a half-and-half grande mocha, or whatever, and you thumb as much into your WiFi-connected PDA, updating Twitter of your current occupation. “At a global coffee chain, working on my novel, just so everybody can see that I’m working on my novel.” Bang. The bad guys know where you are and what you’re doing and rob your house. Or, bang. Your girlfriend’s husband shows up and clobbers you with your own MacBook Air.

If you’re creative enough, you can think of a thousand scenarios that turn out poorly. Of course this is the fault of Twitter, and not the guy broadcasting his exact whereabouts to all of his followers.

These concerns have been raised, as Mike Masnick notes, on the heels of a bank robbery involving Craigslist. The robber used Craigslist to promise jobs to people and told them to show up outside a bank in a specific uniform. He wore the same thing and robbed the bank, creating a fine sense of confusion. (Hey, maybe penalties for bank robberies should depend on how creative the dude was robbing it. The Craigslist guy gets off light cuz that was pretty brilliant.)

Masnick also mentions how answering machines were once also feared as a broadcast to whomever called that nobody was home. It’s not quite the same because, unless consciously creating a diversion via Twitter, it was obvious pretty quickly that an answering machine was a nice way of lying without saying a word.

Still, in reality, whoever is about to rob you or beat you to a pulp, likely already knows if you’re home or not.

News Tags: Social Media, Twitter

About the author:
Jason Lee Miller is a WebProNews editor and writer covering business and technology.

19 Comments

By Brett (WPN reader) - Wed, 10/15/2008 - 20:30

It might sound simple, but...

It probably wouldn't hurt for Twitter to have "guidelines" for new users, so some poor unsuspecting fool doesn't share his credit card number with the world. We might think it's stupid and unnecessary, but I wonder how many people really understand how many people can read their tweets?

PS Twitter probably has user guidelines...

By CD Rates Blog (WPN reader) - Tue, 10/14/2008 - 17:40

Are You a Twit

First, I have also noticed the annoying tendency for the page to jump down to the comments. I really do want to read the article. I've noticed a few others making the same comment. Maybe it is a browser problem. I'm still using IE6.

Secondly, evil will always find a way. It isn't Twitter's, Craiglist's, etc. fault. The people using it should use some common sense.

By Guest (WPN reader) - Tue, 10/14/2008 - 03:57

Dumb link

Whats the point of navigating to the comment box when we havent seen the detail of the article

DUH

By Cana (WPN reader) - Mon, 10/13/2008 - 16:55

Intend to write something

I think most people using Twitter just want to write something they want to share with somebody.

By Guest (WPN reader) - Mon, 10/13/2008 - 16:21

Can't blame them

It's to be expected theres too much money to be made.

By kaycee (WPN reader) - Mon, 10/13/2008 - 04:38

watch out...

to be safe watch out...don't just use your PDA anywhere. this is somewhat strange but true i think. the robbers are so advanced as well as the technology.

Parenting Tips

By Guest (WPN reader) - Mon, 10/13/2008 - 01:27

Yawn!!!!! Must be a slow

Yawn!!!!! Must be a slow news day,

By Family (WPN reader) - Sun, 10/12/2008 - 21:28

Family

When the government and big organisations log your whereabouts with the use of credit cards etc this is known as Big Brother.

So is the use of presenting your whereabouts on Twitter like interfaces LittleBrother or just plain stupid?

By BigTreez (WPN reader) - Sun, 10/12/2008 - 14:51

Get a LIFE...

Why don't the people who use this "Social Netwoking" crap get a life and meet some real friends or something... Instead of worrying what kind of trouble there blogging or facebooking or twittering will get them into. Whatever happened to the phone? It's a great tool and you people all need to get a life, for real!

Lame assholes.

BigTreez

By N8 (WPN reader) - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 15:32

There is a name for this kind of thing...

...it's called paranoia. If someone is going to cause harm to themselves or others, THAT is the problem. I'm not going to let fear ruin my life just because something bad could happen to me. Let's weed out those who would harm us rather than put ourselves each in our own jail cell for safety. If we can't trust each other, let's fix it so that we can! I'll stop ranting.

By Bubba Man (WPN reader) - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 10:00

Everything is a bleeding tool

There is only one weapon and it resides bewteen your ears.

Everything Else is just a tool.

Any criminal with enought brain cells to rub together will be using all of the tools he can (many of which we have not yet thought of).

Deal with it.

-Bubba

By Guest (WPN reader) - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 09:26

Another Reason to Stay Off the Grid

From Twitter's website: "What Are You Doing?". One of the main functions of Twitter is to allow people to let others know what they're doing.

I think the real question is "Do we really need to be this connected?"

By Charleaux (WPN reader) - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 09:10

I was messing around and I

I was messing around and I accidentally a WHOLE coca cola bottle, lol. What should I do?

Is this bad? y/n!

By Guest (WPN reader) - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 12:44

I accidentally a whole

I accidentally a whole also! WTF! This is an epidemic.

By Brian (WPN reader) - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 07:48

Not sure I follow exactly

Not sure I follow exactly how this is Twitter's fault; that someone is stupid enough to post their exact whereabouts in real-time, all the time, is the equivalent of standing outside your house in a busy suburb telling your neighbor (in a nice, loud voice), "Hey, me and the wife are gonna be in California for the next week. We left the spare key under the back mat, though, so you can water the plants." At some point, people have to take responsibility for their own actions (or, yes, stupidity), rather than finding someone else to blame.

By Exolon (WPN reader) - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 08:33

Re: Not sure I follow exactly

'Not sure I follow exactly how this is Twitter's fault; that someone is stupid enough to post their exact whereabouts in real-time, all the time, is the equivalent of standing outside your house in a busy suburb telling your neighbor (in a nice, loud voice), "Hey, me and the wife are gonna be in California for the next week. We left the spare key under the back mat, though, so you can water the plants."'

That's the point he was making. He used a technique often referred to as 'sarcasm', which you may have heard of...?

By sarcasmMyLeftFoot (WPN reader) - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 12:44

Nooo!

Really?

By Rogelio (WPN reader) - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 05:15

Twitter snoops

These scenarios of course apply only to those loners who have no social life whatsoever... and for the mischievous ones who get tempted by the fruit of another. It is not the fault of Twitter... it's the behaviour of the individual that sets the stage.

And the Craigslist scenario... thief could have used classifieds on the daily newspaper as well. Should we put the blame on the newspaper for that?

By Guest (WPN reader) - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 05:01

lol

Lol. This is funny but true. I am uncomfortable to let the world know everything I am doing. Oh yeah. There will be other similar and strange stories in the future. Let’s wait and see.