Gone Fishing
by Gerald Trites

Social networks have posed a new opportunity for many people, to keep in touch with friends, to network for business, to collaborate, to showcase, to message and converse. They have also presented an oppportunity for thieves.

That's because many people post their vacation plans on places like Facebook. And they like to post entries from whever they are - whether it be Paris or New York or wherever they can get an internet connection. "Having a wonderful time in London - We'll be back home in ten days."

A thief could read that, look up the vacationers' home address on any number of sites, get the directions to go there on Google Earth and head out. Numerous people have found their house broken into on their return. Sometimes, there is evidence that the break-in was a professional job (select items gone, house not ransacked), which indicates that there's a burgeoning industry out there.

It's something to keep in mind, when making arrangements to have the lawn mowed, stopping the paper delivery, and taking all those other precautions when going away for a while.

The less information we publish on the internet, the better. Check out this article on Technology Review.