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Using an App to Track Your Bike Ride Could Result in Your Becoming a Suspect

posted by Fnord666 on Sunday March 29 2020, @08:52AM   Printer-friendly
from the data-doesn't-lie dept.

Rich26189 writes:

About a year ago, Zachary McCoy took a bike ride around his neighborhood in Gainesville, Florida. It may have been forgettable to him, but not to history. Because McCoy used an app to track his mileage, the route was forever etched in the Google-verse and attached to his name.

On the day of this ill-fated bike ride, McCoy passed a certain neighbor's house three times. While this normally wouldn't raise alarm, the neighbor happened to be the victim of a burglary that day, and had thousands of dollars worth of jewelry stolen. The Gainesville police had zero leads after a four-day investigation, so they went to the county to get a geofence warrant. Thanks to all the location data McCoy had willingly generated, he became the prime suspect.

From hackaday:
https://hackaday.com/2020/03/25/geofence-warrant-sends-mans-privacy-over-the-handlebars/

Oblig. xkcd.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by maxwell demon on Sunday March 29 2020, @09:11AM (8 children)

    by maxwell demon (1608) on Sunday March 29 2020, @09:11AM (#976886) Journal

    Bookmark this story, so that you have it handy the next time someone claims: “If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide.”

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +3  
       Insightful=3, Total=3
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   5  

  • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 29 2020, @09:28AM (7 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 29 2020, @09:28AM (#976891)

    You would only bookmark this if you have something to hide.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 29 2020, @09:33AM (6 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 29 2020, @09:33AM (#976892)

      I'll have nothing to hide, after I've hidden your body! But, I'll leave the phone home while I'm doing that.

      • (Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday March 29 2020, @11:15AM (5 children)

        by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Sunday March 29 2020, @11:15AM (#976905) Journal

        http://archive.is/9uZqf [archive.is]
        https://info.security.kastle.com/resources/articles/burglary-home-security-statistics [kastle.com]

        Millions of Americans have some kind of front door camera. There are plenty of dashcams too, and automated license plate readers. Better get your murder sprees done soon because millennials are embracing surveillance technologies.

        --
        [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]

        • (Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Sunday March 29 2020, @01:07PM

          by bzipitidoo (4388) on Sunday March 29 2020, @01:07PM (#976913) Journal

          Nah, just get smarter about it. Surveillance tech is so easily hacked. Get extra points for framing an enemy or three for your crime spree.

          During his bike ride, Mr. McCoy should've been towing a red wagon with 99 cell phones.

        • (Score: 2) by Barenflimski on Sunday March 29 2020, @05:48PM (3 children)

          by Barenflimski (6836) on Sunday March 29 2020, @05:48PM (#976976)

          Story:
          Two neighborhoods. Split by a 2 land country road. One built in the last 5 years, the other built 40 years ago. New neighborhood is about 33% more expensive for the same sized homes with no lawn. In the old neighborhood we have a wide range of folks from from 20's - 90's. New neighborhood is 30's - 50's.

          In the new neighborhood, 3/4 houses have RING doorbells. In the old neighborhood 1/10 do.

          There is no point in this story. It's just a story.