If you have been considering using the BeReal, you must know how about the app's privacy policy and what data the app collects from you.
This will help you better protect your identity and stay safe in the online world. So is the BeReal app safe for both adults and children or not?
Is BeReal Safe? What to Know About the App
BeReal collects your personal data to provide a good user experience but doesn’t gather as much data as some other social media apps. According to BeReal, its data policies comply EU and French law. According to its Terms of Use, BeReal doesn't share your personal information with third parties
But make sure not to upload any intimate or private content on BeReal since the app maintains a free license to your content for 30 years. This is rather concerning as BeReal can reuse anything you upload on the platform for three decades.
As the company states in its terms:
When you share Content on the Application you grant BeReal and all its Users a free, non-exclusive, 30 (thirty) year, worldwide license in any medium to:
-To other Users to reproduce and share the Content on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat and Instagram, and more generally any social network or messaging application that may be interfaced with BeReal;
-To BeReal to host, store, reproduce, modify, adapt, display, publish, edit, distribute and sublicense all or part of the Content for the purpose of providing the Application Services to its Users, and to conduct marketing, communication or commercial promotion activities of BeReal.
In case of a data breach, as we have seen with many social platforms in the past, your personal information can also be compromised. You can, however, request the platform via email to delete your personal information immediately.
Along with personal data, BeReal also collects your content and activity data. Content data consists of your photos, comments, and RealMojis. Activity Data includes the type and time of your IP connection, interactions with BeReal’s services, and engagements.
Another concern is that BeReal doesn’t seem to proactively moderate the content on its platform. Calling itself a “hosting company” in its Terms of Use, BeReal only flags a problematic post when a sufficient number of users report it. This means it’s fairly easy to come across unsuitable content, like hate speech and NSFW media, which you might not want to see.
In addition to this, geolocation on the platform is turned on by default. This means your posts will show your location, and you might not even know about it. Someone can instantly track you using your BeReal location, which can be a concern.
Geolocation being on by default, the lack of content moderation, and the 30-year content usage right have also been flagged by cybersecurity companies like Avast.
Luckily, BeReal hasn’t witnessed a data leak yet, which is more than a lot of other social platforms can say.
BeReal Risks to Be Aware Of
You can add friends and family to grow your BeReal circle. Whenever you upload a picture, you can share it with your friends or publicly. If you pick the friends option, only the people on your friend list will be able to see the picture you uploaded. If you select the discovery option, anyone on BeReal can view your post and use it however they want.
Sharing among friends is generally safer than sharing on discovery. But that is if you include trusted people in your friends circle when using BeReal whom you can safely share your pictures with.
When you take a photo on BeReal, it shows the location where you took it. That’s why it’s better to turn off the location-sharing feature on BeReal. When the location is turned off, only the timestamp is shown for when the picture was taken.
If you want to prevent others from finding your location, avoid taking pictures at recognizable landmarks. This will help prevent manual tracking.
Is BeReal Safe for Kids?
According to BeReal, you can make an account if you’re at least 13 years of age. Children aged below this limit will need approval from their guardian to open a BeReal account. The guardian must first contact BeReal via email at contact@bere.al. The email should contain the child's name and permission to open an account under the guardian's supervision.
Kids might not be aware of the added steps of turning off the location-sharing feature. So, it’s best to guide them in this regard. Compared to most other social media platforms, BeReal is pretty safe for kids. Its zero personal data sharing policy with third parties protects your kid’s personal information.
Some risks are still involved for teens using BeReal, such as the lack of parental control features and lack of proactive moderation. So, it is advised to supervise the BeReal app usage of your kids.
Use BeReal With Some Precautions
While BeReal doesn't have any reported security flaws, it can still pose risks. Location sharing should be turned off unless you are comfortable letting others know where you are. You can also use a made-up username instead of your real name to protect your identity.
The app doesn't share your personal information with third parties, but does retain a license to use your content. While BeReal is generally safe to use, there are also weaknesses when it comes to content moderation and location sharing.