Experts emphasize that sharing geolocation poses a serious risk, especially for young people who often lack sufficient awareness of digital security. The absence of necessary skills makes such openness quite dangerous.
- What threats can arise when a teenager shares their location with friends or in groups?
- The main risk lies in the very possibility of transmitting geolocation. Location data is sensitive information. Here are some of the threats:
- Stalking and harassment. Even an acquaintance can use location information to monitor where the teenager is, who they are communicating with, and why they are not at home.
- Social engineering Scammers can use location to build trust and manipulate. This can threaten the safety of the teenager's family, especially in the context of methods used by groups like "The Blue Whale".
- Threat to physical safety. If an attacker learns that a teenager regularly visits a certain place or is alone, it could lead to assaults or blackmail. This information can also be shared by acquaintances who have access to geolocation.
- Bullying and pressure. In the teenage environment, geolocation can be used for bullying: "We know where you are." Offenders can track routes and vulnerable moments to intimidate.
- Formation of a digital profile. By regularly recording their location, a complete picture of the teenager's life can be created: where they live, study, hang out, and when they are alone. This creates risks of stalking, harassment, and assaults.
- The difference is significant. Sharing geolocation one-on-one with a close friend is considered relatively safe, but only if the friend's account has not been hacked.
Posting location on social media creates a high level of risk, as the information becomes uncontrollable.Risks can be divided into three levels:
- Sharing with a close friend - low to medium risk. With a high level of trust and limited time, this is safer, but sharing geolocation even in this format is undesirable.
- Group chat - medium to high risk. Here, there may be less familiar participants, and it is impossible to control who can take a screenshot or forward the information.
- Posting on social media - maximum risk. In this case, access is granted not only to friends but also to potential scammers and attackers.
Public geolocation is the most dangerous scenario.- What are the risks of built-in geolocation features in messengers and social networks?
- Built-in geolocation features in messengers and social networks are not safe. Vulnerabilities, leaks, and human factors can lead to unauthorized access. Even if the "geo" feature is turned off, some platforms may indirectly collect location data.
Although major platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Snapchat) use encryption, they do not ensure complete security, as they may share data with other services. For example, 2GIS transmits information about your movements. Even an accidentally accepted request can lead to continuous broadcasting of your movement data.
- Can someone use the transmitted geolocation without the teenager's knowledge?
- Yes, there are many ways that third parties can use geolocation without the teenager's knowledge, including hacking an account, stealing a device, or data leaks.
- What digital habits particularly increase risks?
- Dangerous habits include open profiles, low privacy settings, lack of two-factor authentication, using the same passwords across different platforms, constant geolocation in the background, and real-time postings.
Teenagers often do not realize who can see their stories, location, or friend list, and they post photos with geotags, showing where they can be easily found. It is recommended to post photos and videos only after changing locations.
Using the same password across multiple platforms is dangerous: if one account is hacked, access to others will also be obtained.Trusting online friends does not always equate to real safety. Teenagers may reveal personal information too quickly without considering the consequences.
Long-term sharing of geolocation is the greatest threat. It is dangerous to share your location constantly, rather than for a short time.If sharing geolocation is unavoidable, follow these recommendations:
- share only with close ones;
- limit access time;
- do not post on open social networks;
- check privacy settings;
- enable two-factor authentication (2FA).
Geodata can become a critical identifier for digital and physical attacks.
