The Color iPhone app, privacy, spam and hype

In late March the Color app – for iPhone and Android smartphones – exploded onto the tech headlines with much hoopla over the astonishing $41 million poured into the startup by investors.

What’s that? You haven’t heard of Color? It’s a new app that helps you share mobile photos. But unlike existing social network apps, every photo you take is public – accessible not just to those you consider your friends, but also to anyone who is in your proximity.

That’s right – there are no privacy options.

Well, that’s not necessarily a problem in itself – after all, most people’s Twitter accounts are also public, meaning that anyone can read what I just tweetedif you’re sensible and understand the implications of what you are doing.

But, unlike the likes of Twitter, Color is worthless unless you are willing to share your location information – as it uses that information to determine what other photographs taken nearby by fellow…

Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

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Graham Cluley is a veteran of the cybersecurity industry, having worked for a number of security companies since the early 1990s when he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Now an independent analyst, he regularly makes media appearances and is an international public speaker on the topic of cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky, or drop him an email.

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