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    Facebook messenger, leaking your location like a sieve

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    • nadnerBN
      nadnerB
      last edited by

      So Facebook messenger, leaks your location like a sieve...
      No đź’© Shirlock, amirite?

      Anyhoo...
      http://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/security-data-protection/cyber-security/stalk-location-facebook-messenger/

      A newly-released tool lets you easily track the movements of other Facebook users and plot them on a map, by scooping up the location data they have shared in Facebook Messenger chats.

      Marauder’s Map is named after a magical chart from the Harry Potter novels that shows the location of every person in the grounds of Hogwarts School.

      But the new Marauder’s Map is real, not fictional.

      “The first thing I noticed when I started to write my code was that the latitude and longitude coordinates of the message locations have more than 5 decimal places of precision, making it possible to pinpoint the sender’s location to less than a meter.”

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      • scottalanmillerS
        scottalanmiller
        last edited by

        marauders map

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • scottalanmillerS
          scottalanmiller
          last edited by

          Here is the code...

          https://github.com/arank/marauders-map

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          • gjacobseG
            gjacobse
            last edited by

            Which is another reason I won't be installing FB Messenger.

            ? scottalanmillerS 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • ?
              A Former User @gjacobse
              last edited by

              @g.jacobse said:

              Which is another reason I won't be installing FB Messenger.

              All you have to do is turn of the GPS in the messages, people have been scared of that app for no reason. There's no more reason to be scared of it than Facebook in general. Sure people flipped because of the permissions it asked for but, all of them were legit and made sense for a messaging app.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
              • scottalanmillerS
                scottalanmiller @gjacobse
                last edited by

                @g.jacobse said:

                Which is another reason I won't be installing FB Messenger.

                It's something that you control and is very obvious in the app. This is not a reason for concern or avoiding the platform.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • DashrenderD
                  Dashrender
                  last edited by

                  Other than advertising to you, I really don't understand why FB is providing that information in the first place!

                  scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • Minion QueenM
                    Minion Queen Banned
                    last edited by

                    Some people really like to show off where they are all the time. I turn it on when I am traveling but not anywhere around home.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • scottalanmillerS
                      scottalanmiller @Dashrender
                      last edited by scottalanmiller

                      @Dashrender said:

                      Other than advertising to you, I really don't understand why FB is providing that information in the first place!

                      You don't tend to like full communications with people in general. You aren't seeking ways to be more and more connected. I certainly appreciate this functionality. This stuff is what allows people to find each other and do things like meet up and discover who is around. When you are an introvert, technologies to encourage meeting in person makes no sense. When you are an extravert it is the most obviously awesome thing ever.

                      And for those of us who travel often, it is nice that people can check where you are instead of asking constantly.

                      Minion QueenM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • Minion QueenM
                        Minion Queen Banned @scottalanmiller
                        last edited by

                        @scottalanmiller said:
                        .

                        And for those of us who travel often, it is nice that people can check where you are instead of asking constantly.

                        This is exactly how I use it.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • ?
                          A Former User
                          last edited by

                          Most people I'd be talking to on Facebook would know where I am anyway. So if they have the GPS info it wouldn't mean anything.

                          DashrenderD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • DashrenderD
                            Dashrender
                            last edited by

                            I guess I'm more concerned my home/auto will be broken into because it's obvious I'm away just by looking at my FB feed.

                            ? scottalanmillerS 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • Minion QueenM
                              Minion Queen Banned
                              last edited by

                              For me it has connected me with SpiceHeads a few times when they see where I am. Kinda cool to get to hang out with others when I am traveling even when it's not expected.

                              DashrenderD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • ?
                                A Former User @Dashrender
                                last edited by

                                @Dashrender said:

                                I guess I'm more concerned my home/auto will be broken into because it's obvious I'm away just by looking at my FB feed.

                                It's not your feed. You have to have messaged them with GPS enabled on that message.

                                DashrenderD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • DashrenderD
                                  Dashrender @A Former User
                                  last edited by

                                  @thecreativeone91 said:

                                  Most people I'd be talking to on Facebook would know where I am anyway. So if they have the GPS info it wouldn't mean anything.

                                  This is my thoughts!

                                  As a matter of fact, after a recent trip one of my FB friends said something that seriously made me question posting as much as I do there. I do have my FB profile locked down so that only friends of friends can see my posts, and even that I think is to much at times. Sure I don't mind those I trust to know where I am.. but FB, and most social media, aren't meant for only those you know and trust.. it's meant to be, well.. social.. and the leakage from FB is horrible.

                                  I realize you live your life from a different perspective - AKA flood them all with to much data, I just can't bring myself to be there.

                                  scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • DashrenderD
                                    Dashrender @A Former User
                                    last edited by

                                    @thecreativeone91 said:

                                    @Dashrender said:

                                    I guess I'm more concerned my home/auto will be broken into because it's obvious I'm away just by looking at my FB feed.

                                    It's not your feed. You have to have messaged them with GPS enabled on that message.

                                    You're feed can do this too.

                                    ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • DashrenderD
                                      Dashrender @Minion Queen
                                      last edited by

                                      @Minion-Queen said:

                                      For me it has connected me with SpiceHeads a few times when they see where I am. Kinda cool to get to hang out with others when I am traveling even when it's not expected.

                                      So you FB messaged someone and they saw you were in, say Chicago.. and say.. hey let's hang out? or did you post something on your FB feed, with people you already at least had a casual acquaintance of and then they messaged you about getting together?

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                                      • scottalanmillerS
                                        scottalanmiller @Dashrender
                                        last edited by

                                        @Dashrender said:

                                        I guess I'm more concerned my home/auto will be broken into because it's obvious I'm away just by looking at my FB feed.

                                        You should not have car thieves as friends then.

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • Minion QueenM
                                          Minion Queen Banned
                                          last edited by Minion Queen

                                          People saw my post from a specified location and said hey you are close to me, want to meet up for a drink. Very weird the first time it happened. But kinda cool now that I have done it a few times. Then messaging gives them my specific location and allows them to get me where I need to go.

                                          scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • ?
                                            A Former User @Dashrender
                                            last edited by A Former User

                                            @Dashrender said:

                                            @thecreativeone91 said:

                                            @Dashrender said:

                                            I guess I'm more concerned my home/auto will be broken into because it's obvious I'm away just by looking at my FB feed.

                                            It's not your feed. You have to have messaged them with GPS enabled on that message.

                                            You're feed can do this too.

                                            Only if you specify it too by tagging your current locations. It doesn't do it by default.

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