This App That “Hides” Your Location Could Be a Total Game Changer
In today’s tech-obsessed world, social media is the great connector. Often times, you want to geotag the restaurant you dined at, but probably you don’t want to geotag where you live (here’s how you can delete that info off Instagram). The danger lies in using seemingly harmless third parties that store location data — surfing the Internet, using Google Search or even boosting your personal brand online comes with risk. Good news though: A group of engineers from Binghamton University has developed an app that might just solve that dilemma for us.
The newly invented, yet-to-be-named app, which won the Best Paper Award at an engineering conference recently, was designed to hide your location entirely. According to Linke Guo, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Binghamton University, and head of the research team who masterminded this application, “When we release personal information to the Internet, it is out of our control, and can be easily searched and used for malicious purposes. We are trying to provide a more efficient and feasible solution to make sure that kind of information is secure.” That sounds pretty great to us. While the app won’t prevent friends from oversharing on your news feed, or you from posting envy-inducing vacay pics, it will reduce the odds of you transmitting information unintentionally. Plus, it make online searches MUCH safer.
There’s no word yet on when the app will be available to the public, so hang tight. We think we can all agree it can’t come soon enough.
Would you use one app to block others from storing your personal location data? Do you care about digital privacy? Tweet us @BritandCo!
(h/t Eureka Alerts; photo via Getty)