“Time to make your BeReal!” The countdown begins on the phone.

You open the app, take a photo of yourself and everything in front of you, and in less than two minutes you should be posted.

This new idea of ​​social networking, Be realisticIt is to avoid pre-made or edited posts shared on sites like Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. Whatever you post, they say “be real”.

It could be the meal you just cooked, the TV show you watched, or the thing you did at work.

The app was launched in 2020 and only launched in mid-2022. 27 million downloads Worldwide according to the latest reports. More downloaded than Meta apps like Facebook in some countries.

But as its popularity grows, problems also arise for some users who are encouraged by the app to show what’s around them and post 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 sends notifications to all users at the same time and at any time of the day.

It gives them just two minutes to take pictures of their surroundings.

The idea is that it catches you off guard and forces you to be more “real” than you might be when you choose a photo from dozens of other shots for an Instagram story.

After posting, you can browse all your friends’ posts and see what they’re up to.

Most users will agree that they enjoyed the experience. look at the daily life of your friendsjust to see what’s on their desk at work or what homework they’re doing.

But this has raised questions about whether it is. a way of violating privacy, both from others that appear in photos, such as where you work.

“Absolutely bad idea” to get BeReal your work computer screen, says Emma Green, data protection specialist at Cyber ​​Data Law Solicitors.

“Don’t be so real,” she advises.

One Twitter user wrote: “I try to read everyone’s work emails on their BeReal.” Although posted in a playful tone, it’s something that shows it’s possible.

I’m trying to blankly read everyone’s work emails pic.twitter.com/qHMfq8edoi

— if I were tolstoy (@dietdouglas) September 1, 2022

is against the law

The expert explains to the BBC that there are a number of factors to consider when there are people or things outside your property: information from a computer.

“Most likely, it violates data protection laws If these screens contain personal information,” Green explains, it’s like any information tied to a person that makes them identifiable.

So yes, even include your address email of someone in the photo technically, it is a violation of law in many legislations of the world.

Green emphasizes that taking any screenshot of your workplace is very likely to be a violation. company rules.

“Probably a confidentiality duty not to disclose confidential information as an employee.”

But isn’t your profile private?

While you can choose who to befriend on BeReal, Green says you can never be sure who sees something once it’s posted.

it could be take a screenshot or seen by someone with access to a friend’s phone.

“It can lead to disciplinary action, so you can get into a lot of trouble with your boss,” he adds.

If you have experience with other social networks, you may find this advice dramatic and want 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 may cause you.

Even if you want to post an innocent picture shared among friends, you may run into trouble.

“‘I didn’t know’ or ‘I wasn’t aware’ is not a defenseUnfortunately,” he warns.