The Risks of Posting Photos Online

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Sharing photos with the world has become easier than ever, and the amount of people viewing them grows everyday. Not only should you be careful of the photos you post but also of the photos you take and store because you never know who can gain access to them. Here are some stories that have recently been reported that involve photo taking and posting. It is important to be aware of these things before posting on any social media platforms. We hope this helps you on your cyber security journey.

Online Sextortion Scam

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The first story from The Daily Press is about a southern Ontario teen that fell victim to an online sextortion scam that involved a user on a social media posing as a teen and approaching the boy as a friend. After befriending the boy the user claimed that they had accessed explicit photos of the boy and demanded that he pay $4000 or the photos would be shared to his friends and family. It is important to know that photos you share or store on messaging apps like Messenger or Snapchat even with people you trust or are just being stored can be accessed by people you don’t want to view. Be careful when taking and storing photos, read more about this story here.

AI Program Pinpoints Instgram Photo Locations

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According to PetaPixel, there is a website that now offers a service that uses AI to detect exactly where an instagram photo was taken. It scrapes together information it finds in the background to find live cameras in the area so you can see it live. This is very scary if it falls into the wrong hands! It allows people to track where you are, especially when you are in public spaces. Be careful of what is in the background of the photos you post, and save photos to post at a later time. Although this is considered to be an art project, it can cause unease for a lot of people. You can read more about this here.

Always Turn Off Your Geo Location

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The LA Times has recently done an article on why you should always turn off your geo location when posting photos on social media. Your geolocation is a feature that tags exactly where a photo is taken and is usually automatically turned on, on most platforms. In the article there are multiple reports of celebrities falling victim to this. Although these attacks are rare you must be cautious of who has your location. Never share your location in real time, it is okay to post later on saying you were somewhere but wait until you are safely away. Check out more about this issue here.

Posting a photo on social media may seem innocent enough but there are many risks to doing so. On the other hand there are simple ways you can protect yourself like not tagging your location and carefully inspecting the background of all images posted. We hope you feel a bit safer about using the internet. Follow Kids Shield on all platforms for more content and resources. Sign up for our email list to never miss a blog. Be educated, be connected and be safe!

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