Please Rob Me: Site Tells The World When You're Not Home

Social networking services from Twitter and Foursquare to Yelp and Buzz encourage users to log in and share their location.

It's packaged as a fun way to find your friends and stay social--but what's the cost?

The new site 'Please Rob Me' aims to make online tell-alls aware of the potential downside to public location-sharing.

The site's creators explain:

The danger is publicly telling people where you are. This is because it leaves one place you're definitely not... home. So here we are; on one end we're leaving lights on when we're going on a holiday, and on the other we're telling everybody on the internet we're not home. It gets even worse if you have "friends" who want to colonize your house. That means they have to enter your address, to tell everyone where they are. Your address.. on the internet.. Now you know what to do when people reach for their phone as soon as they enter your home. That's right, slap them across the face.

'Please Rob Me' aggregates and streams location check-ins into a list of 'all those empty homes out there,' and describes the recently-shared locations as 'new opportunities.'

The site even allows you to filter the list tweets by location, or by Twitter user.

Comments

[SaltyLassi]

06:44 PM on 02/18/2010

Thans. I will now be more careful what I post on Facebook. No more "I'm leaving for vacation" status updates. Instead, I'll just post info after I return.

[Tyler-Durden]

02:13 PM on 02/18/2010

this is stupid. someone sitting outside your house and watching you leave can also tell when you're not home.

more fear mongering.

FEAR FOR PROFIT! THE NEW BUSINESS MODEL FOR THE 21ST C.

[Jaxy]

02:16 PM on 02/20/2010

However, why would you want to facilitate the task of the person "sitting outside your house and watching" by helpfully letting them know that you won't be back for a while?

[ectoendomezo]

12:50 PM on 02/18/2010

And then..when you locate the individual and determine that they are NOT at home...you can go directly to the "Not a Product-Product" known as "Google Cyber Loiterer/Home Invasion Helper 1.0"...or..the USELESS as a "Map"..."Streets"...traffic generator..(Traffic IS a Product...duhhh) and..find EVERY Open WINDOW...every DOOR..every TREE...Street Light..bush...Fence...and even the look and make of the Auto that shouldn't be present if they are NOt at HOME!

Yeah..the UTTER LACK of "Choice' in being USED by Google..the Out of Control Privacy devouring Govcorp monster..is...beyond outrageous..its a flagrant violation of "REAL" law..as in the "Social Fabric"..or the "Social Contract"

IF...someone studies my house..."from The Sidewalk"....Googles RIDICULOUS Rationale..for "Why" this is "okay"......its called..LOITERING..and I have OPTIONS....I can get a LOOK at them..I can even Call The Cops...BUT NOT ANYMORE!

But none of this matters to Google..in their never ending..and RAPIDLY increasing attempt to simply..STEAL the Publics Property...to generate TRAFFIC!

its NOT a "map"...that is the most amazing thing about it...they "FUZZ" the "address"...so..What IS it?

Its MORE and MORE..simply a "Tool" for thieves..rapists...crazed Ex Spouses..

NO CHOICE! They SNEAKED around and took these images..its OBVIOUS that they KNEW...people would NOT "approve"...so..they did it WITHOUT.."Asking"!

[Tyler-Durden]

02:19 PM on 02/18/2010

WHOA! someone forgot their lithium today.

chill out man. there have been thieves breaking into houses long before there was google or the internet.

people don't steal because of the google. they steal because of GREED. fight your true enemy.

[FrTown]

11:06 AM on 02/18/2010

The site makes the big assumption that we all live alone. Having said that I don't tweet. Don't have a "real" facebook account either.

[sadwitness]

09:28 PM on 02/18/2010

That is exactly what I was thinking. I don't use those social networking sites either but even if I did, it's pretty foolish to assume that every person lives alone. Also, most people don't say when they will be home. I guess it does narrow a list of choices for thieves to survey and see if the home looks empty. My bigger issue with those sites is that it seems so self absorbed to have to constantly give and get feedback. I like to be able to think- not tweet.

[marley22]

10:17 AM on 02/18/2010

Type your name into pipl.com and see what comes up. There is no anonymity on the internet.

[aceholiday]

12:03 PM on 02/18/2010

wow a link to my facebook. sooooo scary and threatening. why do people assume that their lives are so important to warrant spying on them? seems like that is a disorder more than anything else

[ectoendomezo]

01:05 PM on 02/18/2010

Because what IF..i don't "like" your opinion? What IF your a Protestor..or a Politician..Or..or...or...or..or..>Or...Or...or..or...?

What THEN?

Its not ALL about "Anonymitiy"..its ALSO..about "CHOICE" to actually HAVE some "Privacy"...so..you don't care if you have NO say in the use of your "Data"..well...so? What if someone WERE to actually care?

Should they have NO choice? or SHOULD they have a Choice?

Are you ANTI-PRIVACY? Are you ANTI-CHOICE when it comes to Privacy?

I think that maybe you are....otherwise this would all be second nature..as it is for those of us that WISH for privacy..and a CHOICE as to whetehr our HOMES..LIVES...EMAILS...MEDICAL RECORDS...LIBRARY RECORDS...SEARCH RECORDS...on and on and on and on and on....are....PRIVATE!

JUST because I USE this "TOOL"...does NOT mean that I am REQUIRED to relinquish my RIGHTS...

I mean is this REALLY this hard to understand?

Google has NO right to use MY home as a Traffic generator..period! i was not Asked! And I'm given NO CHOICE!

is that "okay"?

No! it isn't....

See..this "Product" VIOLATES the REAL "Social contract"..but because its this megacorporate monster..its somehow.."Allright"?

The "products" VIOLATE your Privacy! We KNOW where you ARE..at ALL times..got a "Crazy Ex"? Hope not..for YOUR sake....see the point? Choice..and Circumstances! Or are you SURE you'll NEVER..NEED your PRIVACY...again?

[Marta Alvira-Hammond]

12:23 PM on 02/18/2010

Agreed. I Googled myself today and saw pipl, which I'd never seen before, and it was terrifying.

[susierr]

08:14 PM on 02/24/2010

Me too, I have not listed my street address in the phone book but they have it.

[KaPi]

09:02 AM on 02/18/2010

I always thought those messages indicating someone's exact location at a particular time was annoying. Why is that even close to necessary? How is it helpful for social networking? Am I really going to rush over to pop in on someone when I know where they are? Would you, as the receiver of such visit, even want that regularly?

Common people, start applying common sense. This site simply reveals another underside to such stupidity.

Oh, and I hate twitter. Bah hum bug!

[ectoendomezo]

01:15 PM on 02/18/2010

"Twit-er" is the END of Western Civilization..its the "Perkos Kofee kup" of the Internet Age...the ULTIMATE bastardization of the english language...

I think the "peak" of the "twit-er" insanity was the sadly ignored "Condolences Tweet" of ashton Kutcher re. the Death of Brittany Murphy...

Okay..now..i feel I MUST add..as.."yeah..Suuuuure" as it sounds..that i caught that.."Celebrity Story" simply becasue it was the "headline"..and i could NOT believe it...but the "Meat" of the story...said NOTHING about the Surreal level of....meaninglessness...that a TWEET of "Condolance"...really..indicates..ists ALMOSt..and INSULT..

Oddly too..there IS Precedent for this outrage being villified as it should have been..the Seinfeld Episode in which Elain becomes neurotic and obsessive compulsive because she "Cel Phones" a Condolance message...to a "friend"...and then is told how inconsiderate and awful that was...and then gts all tangled up...

But in hindsight...the Cel Phone is far superior to a TWEET...at LEAST its a Human Voice and..longer probably than "140 characters"..or is it words?

Personally..I have a "D e A T h Pact' with my social group...should ANY ONE of us ever become a "Twit" then the others...act..."accordingly"...dig?

[sadwitness]

10:07 PM on 02/18/2010

Re: Am I really going to rush over to pop in on someone when I know where they are? Would you, as the receiver of such visit, even want that regularly?

Isn't that called stalking, anyway?

[muadibe]

08:30 AM on 02/18/2010

People who need to tell the world where they are at every minute of the day are simply looking for attention.

I hope the twitter phenomenon passes in time.

[HBHB]

08:25 AM on 02/18/2010

I love it! Maybe getting robbed would teach some of these people that being linked up 24 hours a day is NO good for the human being.

[ectoendomezo]

01:27 PM on 02/18/2010

This IS happening..and bears following...the new Vanity Fair has a satisfying..for folks such as we...article about the "Bling Ring"....A group of wealthy kids..more or less..that used Goole Streets and Maps..and "Arial" to ROB the HOMES of MOVIE STARS...they stole MILLIONS...

I am really tring to follow the developments of this..forst HIGH PROFILE case in which this technology was DIRECTLY utilized to LIMIT the exposure of the Thieves as they "Cased" these houses from Cyber Space...

"Google Home Invasion Helper/Cyber Loiterer 1.0"...

I am particularly interested to find wheter or not the "Wealthy" and Famous..or just..RICH...bankers..et al...begin to receive "Special Treatment" regarding these technologies...

Currently...I have NO "Choice"..my home IS on "Streets"..useless as a "Map"...the address on the sidewalk being "Scrubbed"...but REALLY useful as a Burglary Tool...As I had NO warning..no Choice..there are MULTIPLE OPEN WINDOWS shown..in crisp..digital..clarity..every BUSH..every FENCE...on what is basically.."3 1/2 angles"...of my home...tis UBELIEVABLE that they get away with this with the amazingly transparent rationales.."Its only what anyone could see from the sidewalk" and "its NOt a Product because there are no pop-ups"...

"Sidewalk"...well..in REALITY...there are "loitering" LAWS.."No Advertiseing"? Yeah..but LOTS of "Traffic"..and...lots........of OPPORTUNITY for Misuse!

[LostRiverLedger]

07:47 AM on 02/18/2010

An accessory is a person who assists in the commission of a crime, but who does not actually participate in the commission of the crime as a joint principal. The distinction between an accessory and a principal is a question of fact and degree: The principal is the one whose acts or omissions, accompanied by the relevant mens rea, are the most immediate cause of the actus reus (Latin for "guilty act").If two or more people are directly responsible for the actus reus, they can be charged as joint principals (see common purpose). The test to distinguish a joint principal from an accessory is whether the defendant independently contributed to causing the actus reus rather than merely giving generalised and/or limited help and encouragement.

[HBHB]

08:26 AM on 02/18/2010

What are you running for assistant to the assistant district attorney?

[LostRiverLedger]

08:44 AM on 02/18/2010

Too late.....just showing that it is possible these folks could conceivably be guilty of a crime as accessories after the fact.....

[Das Hirschenhofer 11]

05:10 AM on 02/18/2010

Why not have a Half hour delay on showing your location....make em guess.!

[Tactical Grace]

04:33 AM on 02/18/2010

Trespassers will be violated.

[GoldStarMom]

04:02 AM on 02/18/2010

Hah, it doesn't bother me!

1. I don't do social networking, unless you count this as social networking.

2. There's always somebody at home where I live.

3. I have nothing worth stealing anyhow.

[FrTown]

11:07 AM on 02/18/2010

Ditto! I swear.

[SiberianRat]

12:04 AM on 02/18/2010

This is legal? They think they're helping people?? WTF?!?!

[CommonTator]

12:00 AM on 02/18/2010

I don't agree with the manner in which this site is spreading it's message, as I believe it is actually endangering people.

There are lots of important messages floating around out there in the ether that people NEED to get.

It's better when these communications reach hearts and minds without unnecessary destruction.

Be that as it may, how to put it...

It's much, much easier to do something incredibly stupid when you look and see a throng of people doing it.

That's Twitter. That's Facebook.

Not that using either service is stupid in and of itself, but publicly spreading very private information can be very dangerous.

Not just to the individual, either.

When enough people recreate by lodging their heads as far up other people's (expletives) as technology will allow, an expectation develops for the rest of society to follow suit.

Then, you get new job interview questions, like "Why don't you have a stronger internet presence?"

And that's when it's not just a danger to those individuals, but to all of society.

Screw their method, but blessings on their message.

[mikefarinha]

11:23 PM on 02/17/2010

So where is the social networking site "Please burn my underwater house down!"