When you read “Time to do your BeReal!” on the phone, the countdown begins.
You open the app, take a photo of yourself and whatever is in front of you, and have it posted in less than two minutes.
The idea of this new social network, BeReal, is to avoid pre-made or edited posts that are shared on sites like Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. That what you publish, they say, “be real.”
It could be the meal you just cooked, the TV show you’re watching, or whatever you’re doing at work.
The app was launched in 2020 and only took off in mid-2022, with over 27 million downloads worldwide according to the latest reports. It has been downloaded more than Meta apps, such as Facebook, in some countries.
But as it grows in popularity, problems are also appearing for some users who, urged by the app to show what is around them, have posted inappropriate things.
“Don’t be so real”
If you are not familiar with BeReal, you should know that it is a new social media platform that pushes a notification to all users at the same time and at a random time of the day.
It gives them just two minutes to take a photo of their surroundings.
The idea is that it catches you off guard and forces you to be more “real” than you could be when selecting, say, one photo out of dozens of shots for an Instagram story.
Once you’ve posted, you can scroll through all your friends’ posts and see what they’re up to.
Most users will admit that they have enjoyed the experience of look at the daily life of your friendsif only to see what was on their desk at work or what homework they were doing.
But this has raised questions about whether it is a way to violate privacyboth from others that appear in the photos, and, for example, from the place where you work.
“Definitely a bad idea” to take a BeReal from the screen of your work computersays Emma Green, a data protection expert at Cyber Data Law Solicitors.
“Don’t be so real,” he advises.
One Twitter user wrote: “Me trying to read everyone’s work emails on their BeReal.” Something that although it was published in a joking tone, shows that it is something possible.
It’s against the laws
The expert explains to the BBC that there are a number of factors to consider in cases where there are people or things outside your property, such as information from a computer.
“Most likely, it will violate the data protection laws if there is personal information on those screens,” such as any information linked to a person that makes them identifiable, Green explains.
So yes, even include the address of someone’s email in the photo would technically be a violation of the law in many legislations of the world.
Green emphasizes that taking any picture of your workplace screen is very likely to violate company rules.
“Probably in your contract there will be a duty of confidentiality as an employee not to divulge confidential information”, he points out.
But isn’t your profile private?
Although you can choose who to be friends with on BeReal, Green says that once something is posted, you can never be sure who will see it.
can be take screenshots or can be seen by someone with access to a friend’s phone.
“It could lead to disciplinary action, so you could get in a lot of trouble with your boss,” he adds.
Having experience on other social networks, you might find this tip dramatic and be tempted to take a candid photo the next time the BeReal alert goes off.
But Green’s key advice is that the publication not worth it before the problem that could cause you.
Even if you intended to post an innocent image, shared among friends, you could get in trouble.
“’I didn’t know’ or ‘I didn’t realize’ is not a defenseUnfortunately,” he warns. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
