In the modern-day, it is easier than ever to meet new people. Whether it be Twitter, Instagram, Reddit or even dating apps, meeting people and making friends online can be easy. In fact, there are billions of people on social media, many of which you would probably get along with pretty well. 

However, if you know how to take a sexy selfie and/or sending silly photos to strangers, you also need to be careful. While you might have a small online relationship with these people, you still don’t really know who they are and thus, need to tread lightly. You don’t want your photos to accidentally find their way into the wrong hands. With that in mind, this article is going to go over a few things you should think of when sending photos to strangers.

Do I Trust This Person?

First and foremost, you need to think about whether you trust them. When you send a photo to someone, whether innocent or scandalous, you need to have trust in them. You need to trust they will keep the photo to themselves, trust they won’t post it anywhere, and other things like that. This trust can potentially take weeks to build, or longer, so don’t give in to pressure to send photos before you’re ready. 

Also, be aware that thousands of people have reported falling victim to catfishing or romance fraud, with many more certainly going unreported. So even if they have sent you photos of themselves or have a social media page, be aware that it might not really be them. 

No matter how convincing a person is, never send a photo to anyone unless you are comfortable with them and trust them. If you do trust them and are able to confirm they are a real person and trust them, then feel free to send them photos as long as you are comfortable with it and legally allowed to. 

Of course, if you do decide to send a photo, make it as good a representation of yourself as possible. While making sure you look great is important, you also want to make sure the background and the setting look great too. The last thing you want is a toilet or garbage can in the back of the photo.

What Can They Find Out From the Photo?

While you think a photo is just a photo, they can actually hold a lot more information than you think. Many of the photos we take are full of information that can be incredibly easy for anyone to see, if they know how. Photos we take often include our location, what device it was taken with, who took the photo, our altitude and more. As you could imagine, these are things you might not want everyone to know, especially your location. 

If you do plan on sending a photo, it is a good idea to use some sort of software to remove this metadata from the picture you plan on sending. If not, people could learn a lot more about you than just your looks from the photo.

How Should I Send It?

If you have decided to trust the person, and have made sure no metadata can be discovered from the photo, the next thing to think about is how to send it. With all of the different social media and messaging apps out there, you need to decide how to send the photo. While you could text it, that involves giving your number out to a stranger, which can also be unsafe.  

While no system or method is foolproof, using an app that deletes the photo after a few seconds is generally safer (such as Snapchat). However, even then, the photo could often be screenshotted. Exercise a lot of caution when sending photos to strangers, including when deciding how to send it. 

In conclusion, we hope this article has helped you understand what to think of and consider when sending photos to strangers. If you decide to do it for one reason or another, it is a good idea to be careful.