March 12, 2024, 6:48 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Smartphones can exchange files directly at close range. Some people misuse this to harass others with photos. However, so-called cyberflashing can be prevented.
Modern smartphones are small computers with a wide range of functions. This includes the ability to quickly and easily connect via the internet or Bluetooth. Many people’s devices are set to be open to access and requests. This can facilitate cyberflashing. We explain what the term means and how you can protect yourself.
Overview
What Cyberflashing Means
The term is a digital adaptation of flashing. In English, this refers to the brief exposure of female breasts or male and female genitalia.
In cyberflashing, people receive unwanted obscene images of any kind on their phones from strangers. This usually happens via AirDrop on iPhones and Quick Share on Android phones and can be easily exploited in public spaces when activated.
Within a radius of about ten meters, people can use their mobile phones to connect with others if they are open. If someone sends an image as part of an access request, it appears visibly as a preview directly on the target person’s screen–leading to cyberflashing before the victim can even agree to the connection.
Check AirDrop in the Control Center
AirDrop and Quick Share are practical functions for exchanging files wirelessly and ad hoc with others nearby. However, it is advisable to choose restrictive settings for these wireless features to avoid being visible to everyone.
On the iPhone, this works fastest through the so-called Control Center, which you open by swiping down from the top right corner of the screen. In the Control Center, press and hold the network settings card in the top left, then tap the “AirDrop” button and activate “Receiving Off.”
Otherwise, when using AirDrop, the options “Contacts Only” or “Everyone for 10 Minutes” are recommended if you want to exchange data with a non-contact. After ten minutes of visibility for everyone, AirDrop automatically reverts to the “Contacts Only” option, as Apple explains.
Samsung Expands AirDrop-Like Feature to More Galaxy Smartphones
WhatsApp Plans Feature Currently Exclusive to Apple
Manage Quick Share in Android Quick Settings
On Android smartphones, it works similarly: Swipe down from the top of the display to open the so-called status bar with quick settings. There you will see a Quick Share button to turn on or off. If the button is missing, you can add it by tapping the pencil icon.
Through the Quick Share button, you can also access the feature settings. Here, with Quick Share activated, the “Contacts Only” option is recommended: The device is visible to nearby contacts only when the screen is on and unlocked. For a brief exchange with others, there is the “Everyone for 10 Minutes” option under the “All” selection. Afterward, the function automatically reverts to “Contacts Only,” according to a support page from Google.
Quick Share is Nearby Share
Since Google recently renamed the function, it may still be called Nearby Share on older devices, or both Quick Share and Nearby Share may appear simultaneously on a smartphone. This does not change the functionality.
AirDrop and Quick Share (Nearby Share) are not compatible with each other. The exchange only works between smartphones with the same operating system.
With material from dpa