By Deepika Sarma
Nudies. They’re everywhere, like it or not. Your school-going kid is taking them, your friends are taking them, your teachers are taking them, your colleagues are taking them. Heck, maybe you are too.
Or maybe you’ve wanted to, but are worried about your photo being shared without your consent. Or being leaked on the Internet. Maybe you love the idea that your photograph is out there, being shared and enjoyed, but don’t want it to be linked back to you, so you keep your face out of it. Or maybe you keep your face in it, fervently hoping that your trust in the person you sent it you remains unbroken.
In the aftermath of the 2014 celebrity hacks, came the firm ubiquitous advice that the only way to ensure your naked photos aren’t leaked is to never take them at all. You could, if you want to, follow Jezebel‘s A 100% Foolproof Guide to Not Having Your Nudes Leaked Online, which includes such classics as “Avoid being a woman”, “Avoid being naked at any time”, “Avoid being sexually attractive” and “Don’t use cellular telephones or computers”.
But we all know that despite the risks of being identified or shamed for taking naked photos, people everywhere do it all the time. Including (for realz) desi girls.
So here are some cool suggestions to mitigate that risk, (hat tip: Bishakha Datta of Point of View). Introducing Safer Nudes: A Sexy Guide to Digital Security from the activists and geeks collective Coding Rights. The guide has great tips such as avoiding sending nudes by SMS, iMessage, Whatsapp, Telegram, Facebook, Tinder, Happn or other chat applications that allow files to be easily saved by those who receive them, or that require you to register using a phone number. Or using strong passwords to lock your phone, and avoid using publicly shared WiFi connections to send naked selfies.
If you aren’t able to open their pdf with the guide in English, try using Google translate on this. Happy selfie-taking!
Updated: Here is the guide in English.