With the internet and a lot of time, people can find just about anything and anyone. Some sleuths go to lengths that were previously unimaginable with the help of just a few words, pictures, or screenshots. While that might be cool, it’s also kind ofcreepyto imagine.
A staggering number of people post pictures and geo-tag them. The only problem is that it can open them up to stalkers or, in this case, amateur sleuths. After seeing how this guy can find people’s locations so easily, you might think twice about posting online.
More info:TikTok
Image credits:cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
“They’re gonna have to be a bit more thorough if they want to hide something from me”
Yuval wasn’t deterred and began narrowing down key details, starting with a person’s profile picture that was visible in the screenshot. He was able to find the man’s name and began going through the guy’s posthistoryfor more clues. Through seemingly random research, he was able to pinpoint a location, saying: “I also found this post from someone else asking you for food recommendations in New York. So it seems as if people know you live here.”
Image credits:@yuvaltheterrible
But he just had a general location and didn’t yet know where the food order was from. Yuval said, “you might think knowing that he might be in New York wouldn’t really be of much help, considering we still can’t see any of the branding.” That’s when he pointed out the letters ‘M A N O’ that could be seen on the food order and shared that the other lettering seemed Arabic.
Using those letters, he began searching for restaurants in New York. He narrowed it down to two possible options. Yuval said, “going over to Manousheh Bleecker, I’m able to see what looks like an open version of thefoodin that photo right next to some very familiar paper. And zooming in on the bottom left we can see the ‘M A N O.’” To prove that he found the exact item, he went and bought the food and ate it, which is a bit of a flex, if you ask me.
You can find the full video here
Image credits:Samson Katt (not the actual photo)
It’s become easier than ever to stalk people online through the things they share. Even the people who don’t post a lot end up revealing important details about where they are and what they are doing. That’s why it’s necessary to post judiciously. Yuval’s intention behind creating this video was probably to spook people and showcase hissleuthingability, but it also highlighted something important.
Whether you’ve blacked out important details from your photos or tried to hide where you are, if your account is public, people can find you. The most interesting, albeit creepy example of this is a website calledI Know Where Your Cat Lives. The project uses publicly available cat pictures on the net, tracks where they live, and tags them on a map.
As the site’s creator mentioned, “we set out on this adventure with a mission in mind: to point out the ease of access to data and photos on the web. We sought to showcase how readily available social media users’ information and snapshots are to the general public.” Our geo-tags and photo metadata might even help people pinpoint ourwhereabouts.
Image credits:Brett Sayles (not the actual photo)
It’s especially important for kids to know how to protect themselves online. Social media is an easytool for stalkers, and children have to be smart about what they post. They should not keep their accounts public or geotag the places that they frequent because they can become the target of predators.
Another important thing that people don’t realize is posting while traveling is also unsafe. People love to put up pictures of themselves on holiday but it can let people know exactlywhere they are. This can open them up to robbery, assault, and a whole host of unsafe situations. That’s why it’s best to put up holiday pictures once you’re back, just to be on the safe side.
Yuval’s entertaining videos are slightly creepy to watch, but teach people exactly how easy it is to find out where they are. In a world where people have a lot of time on their hands and high-speed internet, privacy is no longer possible. That’s why this video got 24.2 million views and 3.6 million likes with people saying that he should probably work for the FBI. What did you think of the poster’s superb tracking skills? Let us know if he’d be able to find you.
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