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A twist on exhibitionism: iPhone users receiving nude photos anonymously on Montreal Metro

A twist on exhibitionism: iPhone users receiving nude photos anonymously on Montreal Metro

Diana Stepner, a recent McGill graduate, was stepping off the Metro last August when she received a notification on her iPhone that she had just been sent a file.

She absentmindedly clicked to accept it, and suddenly, a penis appeared on her screen.

"I was shocked," Stepner said.

She had received the photo because of an iPhone feature called AirDrop, which allows for files to be sent between phones without requiring users to exchange an email address or phone number.

AirDrop works by creating a peer-to-peer network using WiFi and Bluetooth. A phone will list other iPhones around it that have enabled AirDrop to accept files from anyone.

The feature makes it so simple to share files that, according to media reports, it's being used to broadcast nude files to unsuspecting iPhone owners on public transit in major cities like London and New York.

Happening in Montreal, too

Radio-Canada journalist Djavan Habel-Thurton said while riding on the Metro in May, he was sent a photo of a penis ten times within two minutes.

Habel-Thurton said he thinks the sender's motivation was that of the classic exhibitionist — "to create fear and surprise, to gain a certain power."

Montreal's public transit agency, the STM, said it doesn't collect statistics about how common an occurrence this is but recommends that, should it happen, the recipient contact the police.

Montreal police spokesperson Sgt. Emmanuel Anglade said iPhone users should refuse the files, and "secure your device as much as possible."

Most of the reported incidents happened on public transportation, since that's where large groups of people congregate so there are plenty of potential targets.

However, it's possible to receive unsolicited files anywhere strangers with iPhones gather. AirDrop can send files to another iPhone within a nine-metre radius.

Check your settings

"People walk around … with the option activated to accept files from anyone, not just their contacts," said Geneviève Lajeunesse, director of operations for Crypto Quebec, a privacy and IT security organization.

The default setting on new iPhones is to only accept AirDrops from a phone's contacts.

Lajeunesse said iPhone users often change the settings to accept files from anybody, since it's the fastest way to start transferring photos or documents, then forget to switch it back to the more secure setting.

Here's how to change an iPhone's settings to only accept files from contacts:

- Open Settings.

- Select General.

- Select AirDrop.

- Select Contacts Only.

Once Contacts Only is selected, strangers will no longer be able to AirDrop files to your iPhone.