Catch a computer thief with Hidden app

When his MacBook was stolen from his Oakland apartment on March 21, Joshua Kaufman immediately lodged a police report. However, the police department was unable to devote any resources to assist him in recovering his missing Macbook. Left with no choice, Kaufman did some sleuthing of his own.

Using an application he had purchased for this very purpose, Kaufman was able to collect information on the man who had stolen his Macbook. Armed with this information, Kaufman took the data to a police investigator. However, he was unsatisfied with their lack of progress and set up a Tumblr blog to generate some crowd-sleuthing. All his hard work paid off when Kaufman recovered his Macbook last Wednesday, 19 days after the theft.

Hidden, an OS X app that spies on and tracks down computer thieves, was instrumental in Kaufman’s investigation. So how does the application work? When downloaded, users set up a username and password. After installation, it runs in the background on your Mac device. During this time, it doesn’t collect any information from your computer. When the unfortunate day arrives when your computer is stolen, you activate Hidden by logging in on their site and clicking “Stolen.” This alerts the program to begin doing its job. Upon activation, the tracking feature is able to find your stolen computer in locations worldwide.

The location tracking is definitely the core function of retrieving your lost computer, but the other two features are far more innovative. Hidden uses the built in camera on your Mac to covertly snap photos of the thief as he uses your computer, and also takes screenshots of the thief using your computer, tracking exactly what he’s doing. In Kaufman’s case, he caught the thief trying to delete his account and logging in to Facebook.

You can see more pictures collected by Kaufman on This Guy Has My MacBook. Collecting photos of the thief with his MacBook all over the place, Kaufman tweeted about the situation on Tuesday morning. The police were pushed into action following the buzz generated on the social media -- not to mention a call to Oakland police by Good Morning America. According to Kaufman, “The police used evidence I had gathered using Hidden (an email address which pointed to a cab service) that he was a driver and tricked him into picking them up. Later that evening the officers acquired my MacBook from his home.”

Meanwhile, the guys over at Hidden must be patting their own backs, rejoicing at the free, real-life advertising. Hidden costs a low $15 a year for your personal computer; it also has packages to protect up to 100 computers for $395 a year.