DateableWhat to check before a photo goes in your private album
Check five things before you share a photo in your private album to keep your identity and safety fully protected.
Before you add a photo to your private album, ask yourself five quick questions. If the answer is no to any one of them, the photo belongs on your phone, not in an album.
Would you be fine if others saw it?
This is the first filter. A photo in your private album has a person on the other side with access to it. If that person's account is hacked, if they screenshot it, if they keep it after you block them, if you and they have a fight: would you be okay with that photo existing anywhere else? If the answer is no, keep it private on your phone instead. It is safer there.
Private album access can be revoked, but it cannot guarantee that a photo will be deleted from someone's device. You control what you upload. You do not control what they keep.
Does it show a tattoo, room, or place that identifies you?
Even if you trust the person you are granting access to, a private photo can be shared further by accident or on purpose. A visible tattoo, a recognisable wall in your bedroom, a photo taken at your front door or with your mailbox visible: these details identify you. If the photo is forwarded to someone else, these identifying details remain. Cropping helps, but only if you crop them out before you upload.
Crop out identifying details if you can. If you cannot, that photo should not go in an album.
Does it have location data attached?
Photos taken on a phone often carry location metadata: GPS coordinates, the date and time, sometimes the phone model. Someone who receives a photo can extract this data. If your location data is embedded in a photo and that photo is shared, your location is exposed.
Before you upload any photo to Dateable, the app strips this metadata. But double-check your phone's camera settings and disable location if you would rather not include it. If you take a screenshot or edit a photo before uploading, verify that location data is still removed.
Is it not intimate?
A private album is not the place for photos you would describe as sexual or intimate. [Refuse to send sexualised photos: once shared they can never be completely deleted and may be used for threats or extortion.]1
This is the line between a private photo and one that puts you at serious risk. If someone has an intimate photo of you and you break up, that photo can be used to threaten or coerce you. If it is shared without your consent, it is abuse. Do not hand it over to anyone until you have met them many times and trust them with something that cannot be taken back.
Do you know who currently has access?
Dateable lets you grant and revoke private album access one person at a time. Before you add a photo, check who has access right now. You should know their name, how long you have been talking, and whether you have met them in person.
- Someone you have messaged for two days: no.
- Someone you have met once or twice: maybe, and only if the photo would not harm you if it were shared.
- Someone you are in an ongoing arrangement with: you decide, knowing the risk.
If you are unsure about someone, do not grant access. You can always do it later. If they push, that tells you something.
When you change your mind
You can revoke private album access at any time. Revoking access removes their ability to view the album, but it does not delete the photos they have already seen. This is why the checks above matter: the moment you grant access, you are handing over the risk.
If you ever feel unsafe or want to start over, delete your account and all its data at any time. Everything goes. You do not need to ask permission or explain.
I'd like to share some photos with you, but I want to understand how your account is kept secure first. Have you set a strong password and turned on two-factor authentication?
It is fair to ask. If they react badly, they have told you what you need to know.
A private photo is a gift to someone, and like any gift, you decide when and if you give it. Keep your privacy protected by staying in control of who you share with and when. If any photo makes your stomach drop when you think about it being seen, that photo belongs on your phone, not in an album.
The rule
One photo failing one check means it stays off the album. That is not caution; that is clarity. Your private album is a tool for the people you have met and trust. Use it that way.
Sources
- Sexual Assault Resource Centre, North Metropolitan Health Service (Government of Western Australia) (2021). Safe online dating.
