A new “geolocation information generator” has been launched on the internet. Its creator, Yiannis Kakavas, has given it the intriguing name of Creepy. Many privacy rights advocates have raised their fears about the possible impact of this application to individual privacy. What can this new application do and why should it stir such concern?
Creepy was created by Kakavas for Linux or Windows. The third package that is still in process is for Mac OS X. Basically, this app pinpoints a user’s location by making use of the user’s data in social networking services. It can do this by gathering bits of the user’s data that is uploaded to the network and putting together pieces of information. The software has just been launched but is already performing well.
Creepy has an integral search utility to locate any individual online. The user has only to input the Twitter or Flickr username of that individual then hit the “Geolocate Target” button. All photos or tweets that the individual has published or posted online will be downloaded by Creepy. From those materials, Creepy will pinpoint the user’s location at the time each of the materials was published.
The software then aggregates every piece of information on hand to find a meaning. After processing, the user’s different locations are presented by showing a map. Individually, these data on locations do not tell any significant information. But when aggregated as a whole, it has much to tell about the “target”. It shows his or her most frequented places or hang-outs, the vicinity around his or her house, and even his or her office. These bits of information are now enough to make him or her vulnerable to stalkers.
The program was completed by Kakavas in only three months. He was able to access and make use of publicly-available libraries like osmgpsmap, pyexif2, and tweepy. In his mind, Kakavas believes that he made available something that will make people value their privacy. He would like users to be more aware of the dangers of careless sharing of their personal information online.
He explains that small pieces of data can be put together in order to make bigger, more meaningful information. Users are often too late to realize that it would have been better if they kept that information to themselves. The common ones are address, place of work, the places they hang out most often, when they are not at home, and many others.
He added further that he created Creepy also for social engineers to have a means for information gathering. Particularly for security analysts, Creepy can be used to carry out penetration testing. The information that they gather now can be used for different purposes later.
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