After Kim Kardashian was recently robbed of jewellery worth around $10 million, police in Paris suggested that the robbers were inspired by her social media posts — the reality TV star had only recently posted photos of herself wearing a giant diamond ring, one of the pieces of jewellery that was stolen.
Police had told the Associated Press that “possessions that have been seen and noticed via social media” were the target of the robbery.
And while social media may have helped bridge the gap between celebrities and the public, cyber security experts themselves talk of the dangers of sharing too much on such sites. Says Raghuveer, ACP — Cyber Crime, Hyderabad, “People can post whatever they want online, but they should remember that information is vulnerable and it can easily travel from one place to another, and especially with photos about personal belongings — you never know what or who it could motivate.”
However, being a celebrity, that information could almost always get out through other means, says U. Ramamohan, SP – Cyber Crime, CID., but he adds, “That being said, people should not reveal things on social media that will have an effect on your personal life. Some time back, there was a case where someone had gone to Malaysia and he uploaded photographs of his family. After that, someone who followed him on social media burgled his house, knowing that he wouldn’t be at home.”
