Tweeting where you are today? Better think again...

Social networks are growing every day and more people are adopting Facebook and Twitter as a common platform for communication. Most people think only their friends or followers get to see their messages, but that is not always true. Both Facebook and Twitter have capabilities to restrict access to posts, but users do not always know what the options do and how best to secure their information.

The information age has changed the game for the common day thief. Twenty years ago a robber would stake out your home and wait for you to leave, similar to the approach that the "Wet Bandits" took in the movie Home Alone. Today, crooks can just use social networks to harvest data and with some basic data analysis, know who and when to rob your home. If the crooks are very tech savvy they can do some programming and trend your behaviors and travel patterns that are revealed through your location information to improve the odds of their mission. Google Buzz, and Twitter offer a feature called GeoTagging which uses a GPS like technology to tell people where you are when you send a tweet. Crooks can also use websites like Please Rob Me to help sort through social media sites like Twitter to know when someone left home. The site owners of Please Rob Me have said the site's purpose is to raise awareness. Some are skeptical of their approach and think sites like Please Rob Me are dangerous and irresponsible.

You can protect yourself by doing a couple things:

- Think before you Tweet - A lot of times we just share what is on our minds. Think about what you would want your enemies to know. This doesn't mean stop sharing, but be cognizant that you are sharing information on a global scale and not just at a dinner party.

- Turn off GeoTagging - While the technology is interesting you need to think if it is THAT important that people know where you are when you are tweeting or buzzing from. Think about it this way, if a crook knows you are out at the water park which is one hour from your home they and has this information on several people in your area, they can plan their attack using a mapping tool like Google Maps to plan their attack.

- Limit the amount of sensitive data you share - This recommendation is the most common sense, but typically the hardest to follow. People get comfortable with communicating with their network and have shifted their culture from being less likely to share something sensitive to being more likely to share something sensitive online with friends.

Look at your own tweets and you will find information regarding location, best friends, rants about companies they deal with or accounts they have, emotional disposition and details about their family. All of this information can be used for good by friends, but also be used by crooks for social engineering.

Social engineering is the act of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information, rather than by breaking in or using technical hacking techniques (essentially a fancier, more technical way of lying). While similar to a confidence trick or simple fraud, the term typically applies to trickery or deception for the purpose of information gathering, fraud, or computer system access; in most cases the attacker never comes face-to-face with the victim.

When it comes down to it sites like Facebook, Google and Twitter are not trying to do harm and while the new technologies are great if used for good, can be easily exploited. It is our job as consumers of the technology to be aware of the risks and be guardian angels to our friends who are less tech savvy. If you want to protect yourself you must Think Before You Tweet, seriously consider the use of GeoTagging and the type of sensitive data you share on social networking websites.

This is what I think, what do you think? Sound off and post a comment or share this blog with a friend.