The Website You Should Know About That Uses Location Data in Tweets to Map Where You Live
- Posted on August 13, 2012 at 10:35am by
Liz Klimas
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Screenshot from the currently offline website "WeKnowYourHouse.com"
Over the weekend, it was revealed a “social experiment” was scanning tweets associated with location data and the keyword “home.” From there, it was putting that location on a Google map curating residences relatively close to where the tweeters live.
Gizmodo calls it “creepy” and notes that most of the addresses on WeKnowYourHouse.com were from Ireland and in the U.K, but other countries including the United States have emerged on the site as well. Earlier today, the website was offline for “some important issues,” but it has since been active again.
Here’s what the site is all about:
The idea is simple: many people tweet about being at home, and some even attach their location to it. This is represented as the latitude and longitude, and is completely open for any website or application to access. This website simply takes that, runs it through a geocoder to turn it into a human readable address, and links it with Google Street View. The code is not particularly complicated either, and is done completely automatically.
Our advice is don’t check in at your own home, whether using Twitter with locations, Foursquare, Google Latitude, or any other location-aware service, because you’re telling the world exactly where you live.
(Image: WeKnowYourHouse.com)
In order to protect your privacy, the site says that only the past our of data collected is displayed. After that, it is deleted. Read more about how it works here.
The U.K.’s edition of the Huffington Post gives the example tweet of “Just got home, time for a cup of tea” to show the types of tweets that would have been picked up by the website.
(Image: WeKnowYourHouse.com)
Here’s what one Reddit user had to say about the site:
This site seems shady, and I’m not talking about the experiment. In order to opt out of the DB, it makes you sign in to Twitter, then grant permissions it really doesn’t need. Not only that, but they force you to install a toolbar to opt out. It’s a cool concept, but this is not a professional academic “experiment,” and the whole thing sets off alarms.
Somewhat cryptically, another Reddit user comments “What if we tell the people appearing in the site what is going on and create mass hysteria.”
Gizmodo also finds this opt out method “sketchy.” It suggests turning off location data features on your smartphones apps in general if you’re concerned about privacy. The Huffington Post also points out that you can delete location data from previous tweets under “settings” > “accounts.”
This post has been updated to reflect that WeKnowYourHouse.com is back online and to add more information about the site.
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Mojoron
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 8:44pmOne more reason why social sites are nothing but problems when it comes to privacy. I’m sorry, people will use this real-time data to hurt you if your not careful. Jeez.
Report Post »p51d007
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 6:19pmI never tweet, twitter or FB my location. As far as my “home” location on any social sites?
Report Post »I use my WORK address. Thieves also are on social sites. What do you think they do when they
stumble upon a site that says “hi from Hawaii! We are having a great time on vacation!”.
Well, they now know the odds are, YOU ARE NOT HOME. Thieves aren’t the smartest cookies
in the jar, but sometimes they even figure things out.
woodyl1011fl
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:49pmJust think what the DNC, the obama white house and left would do with this information. Lock and load the democrat black/brown shirts are making their lists to come after all who oppose them, you, your children, employer, church, school wherever you are Chicago democrat tyrannical terrorist values in operation. Remember all those executive orders obummer signed. Just be on guard they don’t intend to lose this election they intend to fix it by stealing it!!!! Gangsta government and media out in full force.
Report Post »sillyfreshness
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:35pm2012, when people became so vain that they had to post “updates” about washing dishes, eating dinner, or taking a dump. We haven’t progressed any further than the Romans. I can picture the Romans posting such nonsense if they had Twitter back then.
Report Post »Eblaze44
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 5:26pm@ sillyfreshness Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:35pm
Romans? I thought we were into Revelations!!
Report Post »KevINtampa
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 5:53pmThere‘s one thing I’ve learned from reading former USSR training materials and what defected USSR agents have taught: Communists love lists.
They make lists of who they trust.
They make lists of who they are unsure they can trust.
They make lists of who they don’t trust.
They make lists of who they are threatened by.
They make lists of who will live.
They make lists of those who must be placed in the gulags.
They make lists of who will die.
From the common man, taxi drivers, barbers, preachers, to the elite. They place EVERYONE on their lists.
Yuri Bezmenov
Report Post »Jupitor
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 12:28pmSeems pretty inaccurate at best. Most of the recent tweets that had the word home in them had nothing to do with that particular person being at their own home. Still, I’m one of the anti-Facebook and anti-Twitter people around. Take it from this technologist with a security background: don’t use them if you care about privacy/security.
Report Post »VanishingFreedom
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:30amLooks like it is up and running now…..
Report Post »Just say no to Facebook and Twitter
Not using anything with the word “Twit” in it….
jacobstroubles
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:58amAbsolutely! Everyone should start thinking about distancing themselves from facebook, twitter.. and probably all other social media..
Report Post »They are data mining all of this now through the fusion centers..
jcldwl
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:21amTwitter and Facebook are for sheople.
Report Post »Dougral Supports Israel
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 10:59amI don’t use services like Twitter since I have no desire to communicate the trivial details of my life to others. I don’t want to sift through their minutiae either. It’s beyond me why so many people open up their lives to the world.
Report Post »jacobstroubles
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:59amIt is really creepy how people will reveal personal data.
Report Post »mullet
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 1:17pm@Dougral Kinda like how I have no desire to read or communicate trivial details anonymously through forums.
Report Post »Listen_then_think
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 10:59amJoke is on them! I don’t have a facebook or tweet account.
Report Post »lketchum
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:35amnor do I. It serves no purpose (and we’re a technology enterprise software and services company).
Commerce customers report no value in the site’s advertising, as the target market so commonly uses ad-blockers, or is not motivated by online advertising. Facebook has become the modern AOL and to many pre-teens and older people, it “is” the Internet. That’s fine, but the company’s valuatio should reflect that. Also, Zuckerberg is kinda creepy – like he feels powerful knowing just how badly the site‘s users’ privacy is being violated. Perhaps it’s just me, but that’s the vibe that comes off of him.
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