With the advent of GPS-enabled smartphones and the popularity of social media applications designed to track the user, it’s possible to track someone’s movements with a high degree of accuracy.
In today’s digital age, social media is a powerful tool that’s as ubiquitous as the devices they use them on. Most people use it in a way that makes them so trackable it’s as if that’s their purpose, of which can be used against them for strategic purposes – to track their every move, even if they don’t want to be found.
This information that can be generated from this can be used for a variety of purposes, including tracking someone who is under surveillance, counter terrorism activity or investigate a crime. Law enforcement, military and intelligence groups use it as part of their OSINT strategies to do just that, but anyone with an internet connected device can do the same.
Although directly hacking people’s social media accounts or utilizing social engineering to gain access can yield highly valuable data, these methods don’t require such specialized skillsets of equipment.
Social Media User Tracking Guide:
Identify and Register
Anonymous Account
Interaction
Internal Search
Check-in Data
Photography
Friends and Associates
Compelled Movement
By monitoring suspects’ online activity, the CIA and FBI are able to obtain valuable intel that can help to prevent crimes and track down individuals and groups. In many cases, social media can provide a more effective way of surveillance than traditional methods such as wiretapping or stakeouts.
In an age where more and more people are using social media, it is becoming an increasingly valuable tool for intelligence, military and law enforcement.