Backblaze adds free Locate My Computer service to backups

Backblaze is adding a new feature to its US$5/month online backup service that adds another level of protection to your Mac or PC -- locating the computer in case of loss or theft.

This morning at 6 AM PDT, Backblaze launched Locate My Computer, a free addition to the company's backup service that determines the location of your computer, displays the location on a map, provides the name of the internet service provider and the IP address being used by the thief or finder, and shows you any changes that the "new owner" has made to your computer.

Gleb Budman, the co-founder and CEO of Backblaze, said that the company decided to add the Locate My Computer service after several customers used cloud-based backup information to view changes that thieves had made to their machines. One customer was able to see that the thief had taken a Photo Booth portrait of himself and also made a bad video of himself dancing to Tyga's "Make It Rain." The customer, Mark Bao, promptly posted the video of the thief's impromptu dance solo on YouTube and was later able to recover his MacBook Air.

If you're already a Backblaze user, switching on the Locate My Computer service is as simple as logging into your account and then clicking the "Turn On" button on a special Locate My Computer page. It takes up to a few hours for the location to appear, but the ISP and IP address info show up almost immediately, and you can begin your quest to recover your Mac.