{"id":698,"date":"2025-10-13T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T12:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/?p=698"},"modified":"2025-10-13T10:36:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T14:36:01","slug":"location-tracking-and-the-digital-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/2025\/10\/13\/location-tracking-and-the-digital-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"NSCAM 2025 &#8211; Location Tracking and the Digital Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"285\" data-end=\"377\">You\u2019re walking across campus. You haven\u2019t told anyone where you\u2019re going\u2014<strong>but your phone did<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"379\" data-end=\"531\">Your latest Instagram post tagged your dorm. Your fitness app tracked your morning run. Your Snapchat map shows your exact location to dozens of people.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"533\" data-end=\"616\">Congratulations. You\u2019re being <em data-start=\"563\" data-end=\"586\">tracked by satellites<\/em>\u2014and you gave them permission.<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"618\" data-end=\"621\" \/>\n<h2 data-start=\"623\" data-end=\"666\">The Hidden Risks of Location Sharing<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"668\" data-end=\"773\">Every time you post, check-in, or tag a location, you\u2019re leaving digital breadcrumbs that can be used to:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"775\" data-end=\"977\">\n<li data-start=\"775\" data-end=\"836\">\n<p data-start=\"777\" data-end=\"836\"><strong data-start=\"777\" data-end=\"809\">Pinpoint your daily routines<\/strong> (home, work, class, gym)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"837\" data-end=\"885\">\n<p data-start=\"839\" data-end=\"885\"><strong data-start=\"839\" data-end=\"883\">Track your current location in real-time<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"886\" data-end=\"922\">\n<p data-start=\"888\" data-end=\"922\"><strong data-start=\"888\" data-end=\"920\">Predict where you\u2019ll be next<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"923\" data-end=\"977\">\n<p data-start=\"925\" data-end=\"977\"><strong data-start=\"925\" data-end=\"977\">Build a profile of your habits and relationships<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"979\" data-end=\"1083\">This info isn\u2019t just interesting to advertisers\u2014it\u2019s valuable to stalkers, scammers, and cybercriminals.<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"1085\" data-end=\"1088\" \/>\n<h2 data-start=\"1090\" data-end=\"1135\">Real-World Consequences of Oversharing<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"1137\" data-end=\"1416\">A student\u2019s public post about skipping class led to a phishing email pretending to be their professor.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1137\" data-end=\"1416\">A travel post from the airport tipped off someone that their apartment was empty.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1137\" data-end=\"1416\">A selfie revealed badge IDs, schedules, or sensitive documents in the background.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1418\" data-end=\"1511\">Even harmless posts can become puzzle pieces when someone\u2019s trying to put your life together.<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"1513\" data-end=\"1516\" \/>\n<h2 data-start=\"1518\" data-end=\"1574\">How to Protect Yourself from Digital Surveillance<\/h2>\n<h3><strong data-start=\"1579\" data-end=\"1625\">Turn off location tagging on social media.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Most apps allow you to disable location services for posts\u2014use it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/help.instagram.com\/171821142968851\"><strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/help\/166181076782926\/\"><strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/help.snapchat.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/7012322854932-How-do-I-turn-on-Ghost-Mode\">Snapchat<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.tiktok.com\/en\/account-and-privacy\/account-privacy-settings\/location-services-on-tiktok\">TikTok<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"NPrrbc\" data-cid=\"447b464f-7372-4759-9539-cecae7693717\" data-uuids=\"17779898176530471956,17779898176530471771,17779898176530471401,17779898176530471216,17779898176530470846,17779898176530470661,17779898176530470291,17779898176530470106\">\n<div class=\"BMebGe btku5b fCrZyc LwdV0e FR7ZSc OJeuxf\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"View related links\" data-hveid=\"CBEQAQ\" data-ved=\"2ahUKEwiel53Jm_mNAxWev4kEHUqGO8kQ3fYKegQIERAB\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong data-start=\"1700\" data-end=\"1733\">Limit who sees your location.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Apps like Snapchat let you go into \u201cGhost Mode\u201d or control which friends can view your location.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/102515\">Apple<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/accounts\/answer\/3467281?hl=en\">Android<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong data-start=\"1837\" data-end=\"1864\">Think before you share.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Ask yourself:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"191\" data-end=\"312\">\u201cWho can see this\u2014and who <em data-start=\"219\" data-end=\"226\">might<\/em> see it later?\u201d<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"462\" data-end=\"611\">\u201cDoes this post tell someone where I am\u2014or where I\u2019m not?\u201d<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"615\" data-end=\"770\">\u201cWould I be okay with this post showing up in a job interview or news headline?\u201d<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"774\" data-end=\"932\">\u201cAm I sharing this because I want to\u2014or because I feel pressure to?\u201d<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"936\" data-end=\"1103\">\u201cCould someone use this information to manipulate, scam, or impersonate me?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong data-start=\"1937\" data-end=\"1989\">Set profiles to private\u2014and review friend lists.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Make sure only people you trust can see your posts and stories.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-huuid=\"16708951582617234879\"><strong>Facebook:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><span data-huuid=\"16708951582617234726\"><span data-huuid=\"16708951582617234726\">Go to &#8220;Settings &amp; Privacy&#8221; &gt; &#8220;Settings&#8221; &gt; &#8220;Privacy&#8221;. <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Instagram:<\/strong>\u00a0<span data-huuid=\"16708951582617234267\"><span data-huuid=\"16708951582617234267\">Go to &#8220;Settings&#8221; &gt; &#8220;Privacy&#8221; &gt; &#8220;Account privacy&#8221;.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>X (formerly Twitter):<\/strong>\u00a0<span data-huuid=\"16708951582617233808\"><span data-huuid=\"16708951582617233808\">Go to &#8220;Settings and privacy&#8221; &gt; &#8220;Privacy and safety&#8221;.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>LinkedIn:<\/strong>\u00a0<span data-huuid=\"16708951582617233349\"><span data-huuid=\"16708951582617233349\">Go to &#8220;Me&#8221; icon &gt; &#8220;Settings &amp; Privacy&#8221; &gt; &#8220;Data Privacy&#8221;. <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-huuid=\"16708951582617233043\"><strong>TikTok:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><span data-huuid=\"16708951582617232890\">Go to &#8220;Profile&#8221; &gt; &#8220;ÌÇÐÄvlog&#8221; &gt; &#8220;Settings and Privacy&#8221; &gt; &#8220;Privacy&#8221;.<span class=\"pjBG2e\" data-cid=\"69e58b94-59d1-488a-ae48-7dbf8ffd07aa\"><span class=\"UV3uM\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong data-start=\"2060\" data-end=\"2102\">Review your app permissions regularly.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Some apps track your location 24\/7, even when they don\u2019t need to.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/guide\/iphone\/control-access-to-information-in-apps-iph251e92810\/ios\">Apple<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/googleplay\/answer\/9431959?hl=en\">Android<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr data-start=\"2172\" data-end=\"2175\" \/>\n<p data-start=\"2177\" data-end=\"2384\"><strong data-start=\"2177\" data-end=\"2238\">They\u2019re Always Watching&#8230; and You Might Be Helping Them.<\/strong><br data-start=\"2238\" data-end=\"2241\" \/>This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, think before you share. Because once your location is out there, you never know <em data-start=\"2357\" data-end=\"2362\">who<\/em> is watching\u2014or <em data-start=\"2378\" data-end=\"2383\">why<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2386\" data-end=\"2493\">Tune in next week for more from the <em data-start=\"2426\" data-end=\"2439\">Phish Files<\/em>. Keep your signals low. Stay off the grid. Stay safe.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2386\" data-end=\"2493\">Download the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/290\/2025\/06\/Social-Media-Privacy-Settings-Guide.pdf\">Social Media Privacy Settings Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"2172\" data-end=\"2175\" \/>\n<h2 data-start=\"2386\" data-end=\"2493\">Want to Learn More?<\/h2>\n<p>National Security Agency (NSA) | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nsa.gov\/Press-Room\/Press-Releases-Statements\/Press-Release-View\/Article\/2298930\/how-mobile-device-users-can-limit-their-location-data-exposure\/\">Limiting Location Data Exposure<\/a><\/p>\n<p>New York Institute of Technology | <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nyit.edu\/the_cyber_corner\/risks_of_oversharing_on_social_media\">Risks of Oversharing on Social Media<\/a><\/p>\n<p>CBC News (Canada) | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/entertainment\/instagram-location-sharing-1.7610355\">Location sharing is part of social life with Gen Z \u2014 but it can take a mental toll<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Microsoft | <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/topic\/the-dangers-of-oversharing-79330a32-4ee1-433a-812e-fe4bb3d34511\">The dangers of oversharing<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles Times | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/business\/technology\/story\/2022-09-14\/read-this-before-you-post-your-location-on-social-media\">Read this before you post your location on social media<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019re walking across campus. You haven\u2019t told anyone where you\u2019re going\u2014but your phone did. Your latest Instagram post tagged your dorm. Your fitness app tracked your morning run. Your Snapchat map shows your exact location to dozens of people. Congratulations. You\u2019re being tracked by satellites\u2014and you gave them permission. The Hidden Risks of Location Sharing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":1108,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=698"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1109,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698\/revisions\/1109"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}