February 11, 2010
By chris
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The Transparent World
I’m more and more amazed at the amount of information available to anyone interested in doing even the slightest research. This thought struck me when I was driving recently and a car passed me with a vanity license plate clearly intended to draw attention. I tweeted it (at a stoplight) through my phone (text message — I don’t have a smart phone). Later I realized that the driver of this other car, having never met me or even known I had seen his license plate, could find out about it and even be at my doorstep within 30 minutes.
Here’s how: When I sent my message to Twitter, I mentioned the license plate # (or, word would be more like it). The driver could have set up some software on his phone to alert him whenever a keyword appeared on Twitter — in this case, his license plate. He could look at the source of the tweet, which would lead him to my Twitter page. My Twitter page links to my personal blog. That blog links to this site, where my name’s mentioned. A quick search on Whois.net would reveal my full name and home address (assuming it hasn’t been made private). Absent that, a quick search on Google based on info on this site and other details would end up showing my address. And there you have it.
Interesting to think about. Twitter search could prove to be a gold mine for bounty hunters or intelligence services. Assuming the people they’re after are on Twitter — or tweet-worthy.
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