BeReal's policy update doesn't actually fix privacy issues

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Many people, especially the youngest segments of society, have increasingly supported BeReal’s mission to reject the fake, filter-driven world of social media since its launch in 2020.

Privacy experts, whose creators describe it as “not just another social network,” warned that BeReal, like other similar platforms, is also a data-hungry app. I’m here. Also, using privacy software like a VPN service won’t protect you.

Now the company has announced both updates to its privacy policy (opens in new tab) and Terms of Use (opens in new tab) It will go into effect on May 25th. TRUE Fix BeReal privacy issues. Let’s see why.

“Star Reminder” to delete data

BeReal stays away from the glamorous world of social media, but it looks a lot like its competitors when it comes to collecting user data.

Some of the information the app collects is shared directly by users. This includes uploaded content such as phone numbers, email addresses, names, dates of birth, location information, photos, videos, comments and messages. At the same time, we also collect usage data such as IP addresses, connection timestamps and details of how users interact with the app.

This is a concern from a privacy standpoint, but it’s really no different than what other social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter are already doing. However, its data retention policy is something that has raised concerns in the past.

As VPN provider AtlasVPN pointed out in a blog post (opens in new tab) Released in November 2022 Old BeReal Terms of Use (opens in new tab) All user-submitted content is licensed for 30 years. This gave the company the right to “store, host, reproduce, adapt, modify, publish, edit, distribute and sublicense” your photos without royalty fees for up to 30 years.

The update removed this provision. However, user content is now retained “as long as you have an active account or until the content is deleted.”

“BeReal’s doubling of data retention is a stark reminder that if you intend to stop using the service, you must request that your data be deleted,” said Andreas Theodorou, in-house digital privacy expert at TechRadar. is warning you.

“Given the popularity of this app with children, it worries me to think about how their data will be used in the future if users do not make requests or properly deactivate their accounts. .”

Experts have also criticized the way the app encourages users to “share excessively,” warning that this could increase the likelihood of privacy violations.

For starters, BeReal will send notifications to all users at different times each day, inviting them to capture and share both front and back camera snaps. The user has 2 minutes for her to notify other viewers if the post is late. Additionally, you can’t see what others have shared unless you post it yourself.

“The nature of BeReal and the fact that it encourages users to post content once a day definitely raises privacy concerns and could also lead to future litigation that could violate strict laws like GDPR. It will happen,” said VPNOverview’s privacy expert Mirza. told Digital Journal (opens in new tab)also adds that apps may share a user’s location without consent.

“We strongly recommend that you do not share your location data. To do this, refuse to give permission to the platform when you first open the application. If you have already given permission , change such permissions from your phone system settings.”