Anonymous bulletin board app Yik Yak is revealing its users’ exact locations
Yik Yak, an app that acts as a local anonymous message board, makes it possible to find users’ precise locations and unique IDs. A researcher who analyzed Yik Yak data was able to access precise GPS coordinates of where posts and comments came from, accurate within 10 to 15 feet, and says he brought his findings to the company in April.
Though Yik Yak promises anonymity, combining GPS coordinates and user IDs could de-anonymize users and find out where people live since many are likely to be using it from home and the data is accurate to within 10 to 15 feet. That combination of information could be used to stalk or watch a particular person, and the risk could be higher for people living in rural areas where homes are more than 10 to 15 feet apart because a GPS location could narrow a user down to one address.
Source: Anonymous bulletin board app Yik Yak is revealing its users’ exact locations – The Verge
