Beware of Location apps

MUMBAI, INDIA: Mobile users in India have started using location-based applications such as Facebook and Google Maps on their mobile devices, which pose a risk for users sharing information and enterprises must take proactive steps to protect themselves and information they provide, collect and use.

A new ISACA whitepaper cautions that regulating the use of geolocation data is still in its infancy. The whitepaper also points out that malicious use of gelocation data can put both an individual and an enterprise at risk.

ISACA has issued risks associated with Geolocation applications and also suggesting tips for individuals and enterprises to protect themselves from the information which is being shared.

Geolocation uses data acquired from a computer or mobile device to identify a physical location. Applications using this technology offer consumers greater convenience, discounted prices and easy information sharing, and enable enterprises to deliver more personalized customer service and offers. But as geolocation services become more common, the need for data management and enterprise controls increases significantly. 

Malicious use of geolocation data can put both an individual and an enterprise at risk. When a person’s personal information, such as gender, race, occupation and financial history, is combined with information from a GPS and geolocation tags, the data can be used by criminals to identify an individual’s present or future location. This raises the potential of threats ranging from burglary and theft to stalking and kidnapping. 

“As the number of geolocation users grows and the proliferation of mobile devices continues, the prospect of individual or enterprise information becoming available to hackers or other unauthorized users is a significant concern,” said Marios Damianides, CISM, CISA, CA, CPA, past international president of ISACA and partner, Advisory Services, at Ernst & Young. “We need policies that will establish ‘privacy by design’ to instill trust across the enterprise and guard against malicious use of location information.”

Niraj Kapasi, International Vice President of ISACA and Chairman of the ISACA India Task Force believes “The discussion on Geolocation and privacy is dominated worldwide with the risk that it poses to consumers. While that is not out of place, there is a higher risk to organizations which could be inadvertently or otherwise for providing a better experience to consumers be collecting Geolocation data of their users. In the absence of clear regulation in India on use of this information, Organisations face significant risks. The white paper from ISACA on Geolocation comes at a very appropriate time for use by enterprises to mitigate their risks by evaluating the information they are collecting”.