Our latest wrap of the week’s news and trends explores: Your smartphone knows where you are; online blackmail on the rise; college conservatives like being minorities; and fathers alleviate stress.

No Hide and Seek with Smartphones
When Adam Savage of the Discovery Channel show “Mythbusters” took a picture of his Land Cruiser with his smartphone and posted it online, he—like most folks—probably didn’t think much about it. Since then, though, the photo’s become a point of discussion—mainly because it, along with most pics taken with smartphones—contained hidden information including the exact latitude and longitude of where the shot was taken: Anyone who knew how to uncover the info also would know exactly where Savage lived. Savage was aware his phone could transmit this sort of information—called geotags. He just didn’t think much about it. “I guess it was a lack of concern because I’m not nearly famous enough to be stalked,” he said, “and if I am, I want a raise.” Most folks aren’t even aware their phones might be transmitting such sensitive bits of info. Sites concerned with Internet privacy, such as ICanStalkU.com, now offer step-by-step guides on how to turn off a smartphone’s geotag capabilities. (New York Times)

Sextortion
It starts not so innocently: A teen girl, for whatever reason, posts a risqué photo of herself online. Then, not long after, the girl is contacted by someone who now has a copy of the photo. Send me more, he says—or I’ll make sure your parents, friends or maybe the whole world sees the one I have. This sort of online blackmail—called “sextortion” by some—is becoming ever more common. Because victims desperately want to keep it a secret, the problem is woefully under-reported. “Kids are putting their head in the lion’s mouth every time they do this,” said Parry Aftab, an attorney and online child safety advocate. “You are blackmailable…and you will do anything to keep those pictures from getting out.” (AP)

Minority Status
Are conservative students a minority on college campuses? Conservative students certainly think so. Some, frankly, don’t mind too much. Sociologists did some research on two undisclosed college campuses widely considered liberal by most (described only as an private “eastern elite” college and a “western public” university), talking with self-described conservatives on campus. The right-leaning students at both schools said they felt far outnumbered by their professors and left-leaning peers. While conservatives at the western university felt ostracized and were victimized by bias, conservatives at the eastern elite college actually enjoyed their minority status. Researcher Kate Wood said, “they viewed the experience of being in the minority as a positive one,” because it allowed them to hone and defend their views. Most said the fact their minority status actually enhanced their education, and none of them — not one — said they wished they had gone to a more conservative school. Why the discrepancy? Researchers believe it may have something to do with the respect those eastern conservatives have for their peers and professors. They may disagree with their teachers, but they trust them to not let their own leanings bias them in terms of scholarship. (USA Today)

Rad Dads, Less Stress
Men handle stress better as adults if they had good relationships with their fathers as kids. “Fathers and sons seems to have a unique way of interacting that cuts across time and has lasting effects,” says Melanie Mallers, an assistant professor of psychology at California State University-Fullerton. (USA Today)