AI tool GeoSpy analyzes images and identifies locations in seconds
It’s just become even more important to be conscious about the pictures we post online.
GeoSpy is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) supported tool that can derive a person’s location by analyzing features in a photo like vegetation, buildings, and other landmarks. And it can do so in seconds based on one picture.
Graylark Technologies who makes GeoSpy says it’s been developed for government and law enforcement. But the investigative journalists from 404 Media report that the tool has also been used for months by members of the public, with many making videos marveling at the technology, and some asking for help with stalking specific women.
404 Media says the company trained GeoSpy on millions of images from around the world and can recognize distinct geographical markers such as architectural styles, soil characteristics, and their spatial relationships.
Using the tool to determine anyone’s location requires virtually no training, so anybody can do it. Normally, it would take open source intelligence (OSINT) professionals quite some time of training and experience to reach the level of speed and accuracy that GeoSpy delivers to an untrained individual.
This means that even the most non tech-savvy individual could find a person of interest based on pictures posted on social media, despite the fact that social media strips the metadata—which could include GPS coordinates or other useful information—from these pictures.
Based on its testing and conversations with users, 404 Media concluded:
“GeoSpy could radically change what information can be learned from photos posted online, and by whom.”
Even if the tool is unable to narrow down the location to an exact street address or block, based on vegetation it can bring down the search area to a few square miles.
The company’s founder says he has pushed back against requests from people asking to track particular women. Now GeoSpy has closed off public access to the tool, after 404 Media asked him for a comment.
Aside from the contribution towards a surveillance society, the risks of such a tool are obvious. It poses several significant dangers, particularly concerning privacy, security, and potential abuse if a stalker can access it. Another worry concerns the security of the storage for the data that is used and found by this tool. When involved in a breach, a host of information could become available to cybercriminals.
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