THE dangers of uploading photographs of children, taken using smart phones, to social networking sites, has been highlighted by local gardaí.
Crime Prevention Officer at Henry Street Garda Station Brian Broderick explained that GPS features on smart phones can identify the location where the photograph is taken, which can be viewed once it is uploaded to sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
“This issue has already been well publicised in the US and I believe that it is important that people in Ireland be aware of the dangers associated with posting up photographs online, that have been taken using smart phones”, said Sergeant Broderick.
“The built in GPS capability on most smart phones allows various functions, including the camera, to be enabled.
“A photograph taken while the camera function on the phone is GPS enabled, will contain the location co-ordinates.
“Software that is readily available on the internet will allow anyone to view on a map the location where it was taken, be that a child’s home, school or playground.
“The possible dangers to the child are obvious”.
He stressed that these dangers could easily be avoided by turning off the GPS function on the phone’s camera, by accessing the setting’s menu, and turning off the location setting on the camera function.
“Any person who is unsure how to do this should contact their phone provider for assistance”.
