The release of Apple’s IOS 17 has brought new features, some of which have been welcomed and some not.
Now the new feature Namedrop, which allows phone users to exchange contact information by placing their phones within close proximity of each other, has caused fear among women.
British version of Cosmopolitan media says some social media users have expressed concern that the feature puts women in physical danger, or at least in uncomfortable situations.
Namedrop is a solution for sharing phone numbers and e-mails. It works like Apple’s Airdrop feature for sending files, but for contacts.
The feature works by phone owners unlocking their phones and holding their devices close to each other, after which Namedrop appears on the screen. After that, the owners of the phones can choose whether they only receive the contact information or whether they also share theirs. You can find more detailed instructions From Apple’s website.
“Sounds like nightmare fuel”
The women’s concern has arisen about whether they will now be pressured to share their authentic contact information with suspicious guys to whom they would not like to share their contact information. Traditionally, women would give the wrong phone number in such a situation.
Cosmopolitan has collected reactions from messaging service X to its story:
– Bad day for girls who give strange men the wrong number.
Another agreed.
– This sounds like nightmare fuel when someone who is a little too insistent wants your number.
– At a party someone was explaining this new technology and almost all the women said it was a terrible idea, and a third added:
– What if I wanted to lie? Have you ever thought about it?
Some commenters have also raised concerns about whether someone could download their contacts without permission, or even surreptitiously, just by bringing their phone near theirs. Fortunately, this is not the case, but the feature requires user approval.
The story continues below the picture.
The namedrop function is activated when phones that support it are placed next to each other. However, the exchange of contact information requires the approval of both users. Apple
For use in curds
Cosmopolitan’s article must have been inspired by a publication that went viral in X, where else the user comments September 21 reform, saying it was proof that there are no women in the design rooms.
At the time of writing, the publication has collected 17 million views, more than 8,000 reshares and 630 comments.
Some of the commenters point out that the function can be turned off. However, the author of the original post states that these commenters do not understand the core of the problem.
– The problem is that women cannot give fake numbers with this. Scammers are probably trying to use this to avoid fake numbers and get girls to turn it on.
Technically, the problem is preventable, but mental pressure or physical threat can force women to turn on the function and share their information against their will.
Of course, there is still a solution to the problem, even if Cosmopolitan doesn’t mention it. Namely, the user can save false phone numbers and e-mail addresses in his contact information, and if he wants to share them instead of the correct ones.
Go through the device settings
Cosmopolitan has interviewed an expert from the cyber harassment and crime advisory service The Cyber Helpline Charlotte Hooperwho shares the concern.
– Namedrop can create an uncomfortable situation for women who don’t feel safe giving their number to others, so they give a fake number. In a situation where women feel pressured to give their real information and think it’s dangerous not to agree to someone asking them to Namedrop.
You can turn off Namedrop from your phone Settings > General > Airdrop > Bring devices together to start sharing.
Hooper advises to go through the settings of your own devices anyway.
– A good practice is to go through all the settings and understand what you are sharing, with whom you are sharing it and think about why it is being shared. Security settings are often off by default. So checking all settings is essential to understanding privacy and security.
Hooper points out that Apple isn’t the first, and won’t be the last, to offer easy-to-use contact sharing.
– From QR codes that can be used to add people to Snapchat and Linkedin, to business cards with NFC functionality – the need and desire to automate and simplify things is one of the most significant weaknesses of technology.