And Finally... 'Rob me' website highlights dangers of letting the web know where you are

By James Shepherd on Feb 18, 10 04:26 PM in News

A DUTCH website called PleaseRobMe has flagged up the dangers of posting excessive information on the internet, claiming to be able to show empty houses based on what people share online.

The developers say the site isn't able to be used as an effective tool to burgle homes, but merely acts as a warning to people who approve to their precise location being shown on the internet.

Creators Boy van Amstel, Frank Groeneveld and Barry Borsboom had the idea for the site after looking at Twitter 'tweets' regarding a game called Foursquare, which is based on where a person is in the world.

The trio realised the players who had let their whereabouts be automatically shared were, by default, broadcasting to the world the times when they were not at home.

PleaseRobMe extracts information from all Twitter users who have allowed their location to be automatically uploaded. It took just four hours to create.

"You could almost laugh at how easy it is," said Mr van Amstel.

"The website is not a tool for burglary. The point we're getting at is that not long ago it was questionable to share your full name on the internet. We've gone past that point by 1,000 miles."