Introduce the importance of privacy in the digital age and the increasing reliance on technology.

Written by 0x5ec275

It is extremely challenging for an average person to maintain privacy while living in a large city. Nowadays, achieving privacy in a surveillance-driven world seems almost impossible. Surveillance cameras are omnipresent, connected to either police stations or private corporations, capturing your every move on the streets of Bangkok. From the moment you step out of your home to commuting and returning, you are constantly under watch.

This photo was taken from surveillance footage on the day of writing. As an OSINT (open-source intelligence) specialist, my role involves tracking individuals using available online information. Numerous online tools have been specifically designed to track people, making any sensitive information like usernames, biometrics, locations, email addresses, full names, and passwords potential weapons against you.

Onemillliontweetmap

One intriguing tool worth discussing is Onemillliontweetmap. Due to Twitter's new data scraping policy, this tool is set to expire soon. It displays leaked sensitive data such as usernames, locations, and posting dates. Moreover, it utilizes artificial intelligence to analyze the sentiment of each tweet, allowing for proximity detection. If a powerful figure posts a recent negative tweet, it becomes highly likely that the person was nearby. This information can be exploited for sinister purposes, like organizing a kidnapping.

Artificial intelligence analyzing sentiment.

The location accuracy can reach within a 200-meter radius.

Practical Usage:

In military operations, especially PSYOP (psychological operations) and covert activities, this tool can assess the effectiveness of influence campaigns. Journalists and law enforcement professionals can utilize this information to track celebrities or apprehend criminals. Prominent use cases include political adversaries worldwide and within states.

Even a minor location leak can lead to capture.

On the flip side, attackers can employ the same tools as law enforcement to monitor individuals and study their behavioral patterns. For us civilians, it is challenging to avoid patterns in our daily lives due to convenience. However, the more convenient something is, the less secure it tends to be. Criminals can exploit this information to plan kidnapping operations, burglaries (when you are away from home), or cyber attacks while the network administrator is on vacation.

Stay alert, stay vigilant...