Recently, a law school professor who teaches information privacy gave an optional assignment to her students: The students were to “try to determine a stranger’s identity, in a public place, using only Google search on your phone, based on things the stranger said loudly enough for lots of others to hear and things that are displayed on the person’s clothing or bags, like logos or a monogram.”
Many of her students were shocked to discover how easy it was to learn about strangers with just a few snippets of information. One student was able to learn a stranger’s full name, college major, minor and year of graduation based on overhearing his first name and observing the college name on his shirt.
A non-student who saw the professor’s tweet about the assignment replied, “This reminds me of a time at a Starbucks. This dude was having like a fight with his accountant or something. Kept, loudly, repeating his SSN and full name on the phone. After the third time I wrote it down, and handed it to him.”
An article on WeLiveSecurity.com suggests we consider using a pseudonym when ordering at Starbucks. The writer tells of observing a man on the train who had a laptop and a coffee cup with his name on it. When he logged in to his laptop, the writer could see a company logo on the screen. Armed only with the stranger’s first name and the name of his employer, the writer was able to locate his full name, his profile and employment history on LinkedIn, his contacts, family connections and children’s names on Twitter, his wife’s Facebook account (with names and photos of their pets and photos and dates of their wedding) and more.
By entering the stranger’s name in a fitness activity sharing app, the writer was able to see his recent run and cycle routes. He then went on to friend the stranger’s daughter on Instagram and learn more about the family from her posts. Could an identity thief or a stalker use this kind of information? You bet. And it was all obtained starting with only a first name and a company name.
Stalking may be done by strangers but it can also occur after the end of a relationship. It is made easier by the fact that the victim once counted the now-stalker as a friend or lover. The former acquaintance may know passwords and other access codes, and may have had physical access to devices where they could plant tracking devices or monitoring software. One young woman said that she accepts all requests on the Find My Friends app, so any of her friends (and perhaps former friends or even strangers) can see where she is at any time.
It is important to realize the danger of leaking data. Make accounts private. Regularly review contacts and remove those with whom you no longer wish to be connected. Check for tracking apps on your phone and if you believe you are being monitored, notify law enforcement.
