In the information age, the RIOT predicts you. RIOT is sneaky Big Brother-style spyware that analyses Facebook and Twitter to not only track exactly where you've been, but predict what you're going to do in future.
RIOT, or Rapid Information Overlay Technology, has been built by US defence contractor Raytheon and shared with the US government. The software tracks your online relationships to see who you know and who you talk to online. And it mines latitude and longitude from EXIF data embedded in photos taken by smart phones and digital cameras and posted on Facebook and Twitter, as well as location data from check-in apps Foursquare and Gowalla.
The Guardian reveals a video made by Raytheon that shows how the software can then track your movements using that information from check-ins and shared photos. RIOT plots your past whereabouts on Google Earth, and can also show RIOT's users what you look like from your photos.
The software can then analyse your comings and goings to predict where you'll be at a given time, by seeing when you're most likely to visit, for example, the gym.
Raytheon claims that RIOT analyses data to spot patterns without compromising personal information such as bank details or other financial information. The company says it hasn't sold the software to anyone yet, but has shared the technology with the US government to build a surveillance network.
A timely reminder to think twice about what you're sharing on the Internet, especially when there's hidden data in there that you don't usually think about. For me, it's also a reminder never to go to the gym. Take that, spooks!
Is RIOT a gross breach of privacy, or just the sort of thing we have to accept as a fact of life in the surveillance age? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
Comments 11
Add your comment
anonymous 11 February, 2013 11:59
America... Land of the "free"
anonymous 11 February, 2013 12:29
SO how long before 'Person of Interest' becomes a reality TV show......
anonymous 11 February, 2013 12:32
America - land of the fee.
anonymous 11 February, 2013 12:34
They aren't doing anything wrong. It's the people who are too stupid to use the internet properly and safely. If you post something to a public online site then guess what, people are going to see it.
anonymous 11 February, 2013 12:43
Internet ... land of do what you like ....
anonymous 11 February, 2013 13:23
This just in: "If you share everything about your private life on the internet, people might find out about it!"
Damien2501 11 February, 2013 14:02
F-ing Yanks. I think this is wrong and believe the internet should remain the wild west. Though all
this RIOT, SOPA and other initiatives are completely legal or could be made legal because it appears US politicians, Liberals and Conservatives agree on one thing: to regulate the internet.They have been planning this for years all in the name of "combating terrorism".
anonymous 11 February, 2013 14:40
This is why the location features of Google Now scare the bejesus out of me. It knows where I work, where I live, where I go to the gym, and where I shop.
Damien2701 11 February, 2013 23:48
If your a regular law abiding person whats the problem. Freedom is anarchy.
Damien2501 12 February, 2013 01:55
The problem is the US government, a group that has committed some of the worst atrocities the world has ever seen wants to know what are you talking about on Facebook.
anonymous 22 February, 2013 02:09
There is zero privacy anymore, anywhere.....Don't we have someone at the top of the gov't. ladder that wants to make the US just like the UK?