How bad guys collect information through the trend of finding memories with Google Maps

Data security experts warn that people who follow the Google Maps memory-recovery trend could be exposing personal information without even knowing it.

Carelessly sharing images from Street View to "catch the trend" of retrieving memories carries the risk of information leakage - Screenshot

Recently, the trend of rediscovering old memories through Street View images on Google Maps has suddenly become a craze on many social networking platforms.

Browsing through Facebook and TikTok platforms, many accounts publicly share information about their place of residence, family life and habits...

Ms. Phan Huyen Trang (residing in Phu Tho province) is the person who shared on social networks pictures of the place where she lived many years ago.

Ms. Trang said this was quite an interesting experience, seeing the area where she used to live with the national highway before it was expanded, and the house where she lived with the now changed scenery, "bringing me many emotions".

In fact, street view (Google Street View) is a feature of Google Maps that has been deployed since 2007.

This feature allows users to view locations around the world in 360-degree images, simulating being directly on the street.

Thanks to it, users can also explore landmarks, streets and other locations in a visual and detailed way.

Although it brings many interesting things and attracts a large number of interested people, if users are not careful, this trend will accidentally cause users to reveal personal information without knowing it.

Security expert Vu Ngoc Son - head of technology and international cooperation (National Cyber ​​Security Association) - analyzed: in principle, Google will blur photos with clear identifying information to protect privacy.

This is also a mandatory requirement to avoid legal troubles in countries where Google provides 360-degree street photography services.

Security expert Vu Ngoc Son, head of technology and international cooperation (National Cyber ​​Security Association) - Photo: HOA BINH

The photos have been collected by Google for many years, either through dedicated camera-equipped vehicles that collect them themselves or by collaborators.

This image collection is done entirely by Google or the collaborators themselves, so it is impossible to have the consent of all those who are directly “involved” in the photo unintentionally.

This unintentionally causes sensitive, private images to be revealed in the frames. Although the algorithms have tried to cover faces or license plates, the shapes and spaces that appear can still be recognized by acquaintances.

Not to mention situations where the algorithm fails to fully recognize the face to be covered, there may still be faces that are not covered.

Security experts also pointed out another case of exposure, where users proactively post their own photos (with blurred faces and license plates) on social networks, the photo will unintentionally create a link between unidentified information (blurred) and the identified information of the account owner showing this information.

From there, scammers can research and find information related to the account owner, the characteristics of the area of ​​residence or activities. This information can be used in impersonation scenarios, blackmail, and even fraud.

"Users need to be extremely vigilant with new trends, especially those on the internet. The information you post will always be recorded, analyzed and collected by search engines for personal information. You need to be proactive in avoiding the risk of such information being leaked," Mr. Vu Ngoc Son advised.

In case of detecting photos containing their private information, users can report the incident to Google, circle the area to be blurred and explain the reason, send a request to Google to hide these images.

PEACE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cach-ke-xau-thu-thap-thong-tin-qua-trao-luu-tim-lai-ky-uc-voi-google-maps-20250707194653295.htm