Avast have warned of the "risks" in using app BeReal and shared some tips for a safer experience.
The social media app - which urges users to take unfiltered pictures in real time - has seen a surge in popularity in 2022, and the online security experts have shone a spotlight on the privacy problems it can pose and how to take steps to reduce the issues.
Jeff Williams, Global Head of Security at Avast said: People using the service casually without such a detailed review [of the terms of service] could easily give up more information than they intend to share.
"As the service is centered on candid photos taken quickly on request, the opportunity to consider impacts is quite short to the point where most customers will likely not have the opportunity to make a fully informed decision."
Jeff explained sharing locations inadvertently with all app users could be a particular issue.
He said: "BeReal users should also take extra care with the settings of each image. When posting a photo, users are asked to turn on/off geolocation and whether they want to share it with the whole BeReal community or just their circle of friends.
"It is our strong recommendation that users turn geolocation off, especially when sharing pictures in the Discovery section. The Discovery section displays pictures to users outside their friend group and is accessible by any user of the app. A real-time location can be easily misused for stalking or profiling.”
And he warned that there are risks even for people who don't use the app themselves.
He said: "The app uses both the forward and reverse facing cameras as a way of capturing the activity of the moment- regardless of what it is or who is in the background.
"This model can result in sharing sensitive information such as the contents of a computer screen or on a company whiteboard, or privacy invasive photos of people who have not opted-in to the service and who may have a right to an expectation of privacy."
BeReal also retains a 30-year right to reuse images shared on the platform as they see fit.
Jeff commented: "It’s a general truism that once something is on the internet (photos in particular) it is there forever. The rushed nature of the app encourages people to place candid photos in potentially compromising or embarrassing situations in order to 'belong'.
"Compliance with this is gamified and late photos are stigmatized with a label (though still allowed).
"The normal permanence of internet images has greater risk on the platform in that their terms of service grant a 30-year right to reuse the photo in any form. Imagine your most compromising and embarrassing moment being attached to an ad campaign to your friends or to content which goes viral and garners millions of viewers.
"As reverse image search improves, it becomes more and more trivial to go from any picture to tie it back to an individual. How many of us did something embarrassing as a teen which might impact a co-worker’s opinion of them or an employer’s trust?
"Thirty years is largely forever in internet time and potentially covers 60+% of someone’s career years. This seems to be a particularly long grant of rights with exceptionally broad permissions for use."
