This video shows how easy it is to find your location through a photo

We’ve already seen an example of someone identifying another person’s location through catchlights in their selfies. While it sounds almost like science fiction, it’s very real, and terrifyingly simple. In this video, RAINBOLT shows you just how easy it can be to pinpoint someone’s location from their photo. In some cases, you may only need a few minutes to do it!

[Related reading: Stalker attacks pop star at home; found her by studying selfies catchlights]

For demonstration, Rainbolt uses the album cover of the artist Jack Harlow. He notes that it’s full of clues, but requires some prior knowledge. After scanning the photo a bit, and performing some Internet search, the YouTuber was able to locate a specific place within five minutes. “This process might not be the most efficient, but it’s how I’d do it,” he notes. He adds that this a fun learning process, and “not a treasure hunt,” urging you to always use the information responsibly.

Rainbolt is a GeoGuessr player, and I’ve honestly heard about it for the first time. It’s a geography game that drops you somewhere in the world in a street view panorama, and your mission is to find clues and guess your location on the world map. So, Rainbolt notes that this is an “educational exercise” he uses for demonstrating the process, not a step-by-step tutorial.

While this isn’t something to use irresponsibly and maliciously, I also see it as a warning to be mindful of what you reveal in your social media photos, especially if your profiles are public. We’ve seen cases of people having their valuable game tickets stolen through Instagram posts. There was also the stalking case I mentioned above, guessing a pop star’s location from catchlights. Japanese researchers even warned that someone could steal your fingerprints from flashing a “V” sign in photos. I don’t think all of this should make you paranoid, that’s the other end of the spectrum. But just remember to be mindful when posting photos to social media.

[via Laughing Squid]