In recent years, especially with the pandemic, we've been focusing more on online connections, and have been building friendships and maintaining relationships through social media, video calls and photography.
This is certainly nothing to be ashamed of, but sometimes we need to be reminded to keep our safety precautions in place.
A video was recently posted on TikTok by @persnicketybox, pointing out the information that can be obtained simply through the sharing of a photograph.
The woman in the photograph pointed out:
"You download the photo [that you received] onto your camera roll, and you click the little 'i' [for information]."
"That's going to give you information: what time the actual photo was taken, where it was taken, and even what camera was used."
"Now I know right where you're at and if you really took that photo at this very moment."
In a responding stitch video, another TikToker who goes by the name of Killer Bee Tactical, LLC, or @purepower34, agreed with the message of the previous video but wanted to make a suggestion for how to avoid this problem in the future.
The man explained:
"The original photo is great. Please watch it. Now, a different scenario."
"If you're online dating and sending photos to a stranger, you just sent them where you were. So if you were standing on your porch when you took the photo, that could be an issue."
The TikToker then suggested a different method for sending photos.
"A screenshot doesn't have that information. Take a screenshot of the photo, and send the screenshot."
You can watch the video here:
TikTok was overwhelmed with the information, some in agreement and others shocked to have never thought of it before.
Some were shocked to think about the implications of accidentally sharing locations when simply sending a photograph. Others confirmed they were already sending screenshots, to protect their privacy as well as their beauty filters.
These TikTokers were immensely grateful for the shared information.
@purepower34/TikTok
@purepower34/TikTok
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Others pointed out that, while the information was helpful, all of this could be avoided by turning off the location tracker.
@purepower34/TikTok
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Especially with the pandemic and social distancing, many of us resorted to maintaining our friendships and relationships online, as well as meeting new people. While this is a perfectly reasonable thing to have done during such a difficult time, we all still need to take the appropriate precautions to stay safe.
@joehas/X