Smart phones

[Infraredd]

Probably preaching to the converted but if you use a camera phone to take pictures in a DERP then if it's GPS enabled the meta data encoded in the file gives the precise location of the picture & with simple programs it can be accessed. See video
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2vARzvWxwY[/ame]
If you already know this move on & save 3minutes 56 seconds of your life.

 

[UrbanX]

Didn't know it was that easily recoverable by 3rd parties along with the rest of the data!

Lol:

 

[Mr Sam]

only really matters if your breaking & entering graffiti'ng stealing copper etc and whether the 5 0 can use such info against you IMO as obviously will give them a near exact date time and place that they could put against reports of damage theft and so on

leave the phone in the car and use 35mm if you think big brother is watching you

 

[krela]

Yeah, iphones have a file on them with a detailed trail of everywhere you've been and when too, you don't need a photo for that info to be recorded. Metadata is valuable!

 

[night crawler]

Good old Yanks trust them to sensationalise it, I never have the GPS, WiFI, or roming set on my android as it eats battery life, I'll stick to my DSLR

 

[smiler]

I might get shouted. at, but I really don't worry. about anyone tracing my whereabouts from my phone, in fact it may prove a lifesaver if the worst happens when out exploring. alone.
Assuming. that I remember to take it with me. of course.

 

[PaulPowers]

I used to have Google Latitude which the wife could use to see exactly where I last had signal

If the poo hit the fan she could then call 999 and tell them where to collect my body

 

[The Archivist]

only really matters if your breaking & entering graffiti'ng stealing copper

Not so: I think what Infraredd was getting at was that EXIF data on photographs leaves the location open to people who might want to do those things themselves, which is a known problem with Urbex locations being posted online.

I would strongly advise against not taking a phone with you; as others have said it can be a lifeline and tracking/tracing is exceedingly unlikely. Just tell someone you trust where you're going, turn off location services and you'll be fine.

Of course, the simple answer to this is not to use your phone to take pics if you can help it. Most phone cameras aren't very good for anything but exteriors and well-lit interiors anyway. I'm not suggesting you all go out and buy top-of-the range DSLRs (I know I can't), but if you're serious about your hobby and can afford it, get something better than a cameraphone.

 

[rinaric15]

Jeez, sometimes it seems the only thing folks feel good about it scaring the bejesus out of other folks. Surveillance is nothing new. Online tracking, policing and harassing ain't new either. Not to mention,you can set your privacy status to just a few folks if you want, but how can you be sure that those "few folks" so-called close friends are not perps? How do you know that they may be looking and or tracking your kids, How do you know that

 

[Pilot]

There is no secret in the amount of data recorded and accessible. Unfortunately, they write almost unintelligible "Privacy Notices" that very few people ever read (they aren't really designed to BE read). Facebook's, for example, is 25 pages long!

It is unlikely I will ever rise to the dizzy heights of doing an explore myself - (most of these sites aren't wheelchair accessible!), but if I did, I would definitely take a phone with me just in case of an emergency, but I would make damn sure location "services" are switched off - not that it matters, they can still triangulate from the masts in any event.

As for Big Brother watching - of course they are! We are the most watched nation on the planet - even the Americans arent as bad as we are at keeping tabs on their citizenry. Everything from our browsing habbits to our mobile phone is accessible.

Personally, I get very worried about any "service" offered me by my phone company, Apple, or anyone else. You can bet your life that SOMEONE somewhere is making money out of it.

 

[donebythehands]

use 35mm if you think big brother is watching you

That's not the best idea either. I dropped some 35mm off at a well known supermarket, 2 hours later had the police at my door. The bright spark on the photo desk had thought I was up to no good!