
When Grown-Ups Get Caught in Teens’ AirDrop Crossfire - wallflower
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/06/why-teens-try-airdrop-you-memes-concerts/591064/
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js2
This article is about teens pranking strangers (mostly) by sending them images
via AirDrop. If you’re not familiar with AirDrop, it uses a combination of
Bluetooth and WiFi to allow Apple users to easily share files between devices.
AirDrop reception can be placed into three modes: send only, contacts only,
everyone. If you don’t want to be pranked, don’t leave AirDrop reception set
to everyone. Here’s an Apple article explaining it:

[https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204144](https://support.apple.com/en-
us/HT204144)

I’ve never had AirDrop work reliably much farther than about 10-15 feet.

~~~
mixmastamyk
Bluetooth should be off also, unless you have a use case.

(Apparently Bluetooth has some valiant defenders, but I stand by my assertion
on security grounds.)

~~~
dewey
With Bluetooth headphones being pretty widespread now it’ll probably be
enabled most of the time for most people. Especially with the low energy
version if doesn’t really matter any more too.

~~~
LeifCarrotson
I have (and love) Tile Bluetooth locators on my keys and in my wallet. I never
loose phone/wallet/keys anymore (or I lose all three simultaneously, in which
case I have to log into my laptop or ask my wife to use her Tile app to alarm
my phone for me).

And my car starts music over my Bluetooth when I turn on the radio. I can
answer calls hands-free by pushing a button on the dash. I don't have to touch
my phone at all for these things to happen, just to keep it in my pocket or
bag.

Both of these highly useful functions mean that my Bluetooth is on
perpetually. Enabling it only when I wanted to use these features would be a
major reduction in functionality for me.

~~~
mixmastamyk
I have a basket that I put stuff in when I walk in the door, those things
never get lost. My whole music collection is in flac on a thumbdrive in my
car. I don't need to do anything else.

Different people do different things, of course.

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driverdan
I have to laugh about them making this out to be a teen thing. Messing with
people who have insecure settings is a cornerstone of hacker culture. I'd do
this all the time if I had an iPhone. I haven't been a teen for 20 years.

~~~
keanebean86
A few years ago I would name my phone Satan and try to pair with other phones
during church.

Phones these days aren't visible by default so it's rarely possibly anymore.

~~~
komali2
Hah, awesome. Well, you still have some options. Having a tethered WiFi
hotspot open at all times with a silly name - it almost seems to have turned
into a sort of contest on Caltrain who can have the most absurd hotspot name.

~~~
keanebean86
Haha that's pretty good. I also considered connecting to unsecured wifi and
renaming it (since 99% of the time it uses default creds) to something like
"Brother Tim's porn server" but that is probably too far.

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aerophilic
An aside, this seems to be a recurring theme: Kids don’t feel like they have
anonymity/a way for something not to last anymore, so they are searching out
ways to get it.

I recall this being something that came up as SnapChat being valuable for,
letting stuff be ephemeral.

The good part of this is kids being kids, they find ways, but I am curious if
anyone else have found different examples of this type of behavior?

The only other equivalent I have seen is the large “group texts” movement for
connectivity (with associated Bitmoji/memes etc)

Edit: Replaced WhatsApp with SnapChat, thanks for the correction! (Shows how
out of touch I am on this stuff)

~~~
dillonmckay
Snapchat?

I still see the majority of college-aged and younger using it consistently.

~~~
faissaloo
Instagram's taken alot of that userbase

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dillonmckay
Not really.

That is older adults, 22+.

Their userbase is getting older.

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crazygringo
I don't know if it's just teens. Unfortunately it's pervs too.

First time I ever got a random AirDrop was a dick pic while I riding the
subway in NYC. Somebody just sending dick pics to strangers on the subway.

I hadn't realized Apple had created a whole new avenue for sexual harassment.
Great. Apparently at some point in the past I'd changed from the default
"contacts only" to "everyone" without realizing what it would open me up to.

Obviously it seems like technologically there ought to be a way to identify
the sending phone and pass it to the police to find the perp and charge them
with a hefty fine at a minimum... but I'd already deleted it (of course) and
didn't have the time.

Still, seems like Apple ought to provide a kind of "report abuse" mechanism
that would disable it from your Apple ID, or _something_.

Also, maybe when an image is from someone not in your contacts... don't show a
preview??? Or make it super-super blurry, so you can reject it without being
subjected to it?

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pretendscholar
You would want to press criminal charges for a dick pic? I never really
understood who that hurt, especially when it is adult to adult. I've had them
sent to me before and it never really bothered me.

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crazygringo
You can already press criminal charges for someone exposing themselves to you
sexually in public.

How is it any different whether it's in person or in pixels?

Do you honestly think you should be able to go up to anyone in public and wave
your genitals in their face, that that should be legal? Because I don't see a
big difference.

I believe that it's right and proper to maintain a certain level of public
decency and enforce that by criminal law. And today in 2019 in New York City
(where I live), that means being topless or dressing risque in public is OK...
but that exposing yourself or having sex in public is not. That seems like a
pretty reasonable line.

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Joe-Z
Yes, that is a reasonable line. The big difference that I see is, if someone
is waving his genitals in my face I may fear he may come unto me, rub his
penis against me or whatever else.

A dick pic is just that, a picture of a penis. I'm not sure what we're
enforcing when we ban other people from exposing themselves to others is
'showing genitals to others' but rather 'behaving very sexually aggressive
towards someone else'. And you can't really argue that with an anonymous dick
pic.

Of course dick pics are rude, but arguing they are just the same as exposing
yourself in public seems ingenuous

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flycaliguy
Everything about sending a women a dick pic from the other side of a subway
ride is threatening. Since she will have to step off the subway and walk to
her destination alone, I consider it a serious offense.

~~~
michaelcampbell
How about a picture of a gun?

A knife?

A baseball bat?

... carried by a little leaguer in his team photo?

Where is that line drawn?

</rhetorical>

~~~
michaelcampbell
I knew this would get downvoted, instead of actually answered. Emotional
arguments are easy to make, but hard to justify.

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lwansbrough
Hey, adults do this too! I keep a picture of George W. Bush with cornrows on
my phone for exactly this reason.

~~~
ThePirateofOz
As someone close to AARP age physically, but still only 13 mentally, I keep
Astronaut Sloth just for Airdropping to random people....
[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/437645-astronaut-
sloth](https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/437645-astronaut-sloth)

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DaniloDias
Gotta wonder how many airdroppers are sharing photos with Exif data.

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splatcollision
I have experienced this first hand while chaperoning school field trips - it's
an amazing ad-hoc local area social network! Definitely emerging cultural
patterns via technology. Going to apply for grant money to study, brb.

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yardie
As a grown man I’ve engaged in some healthy airdropping while using public
transport or while waiting in long lines.

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Kuraj
This sounds fun, I'm actually considering changing mine to "everyone". Is it
safe?

~~~
yardie
I mean it's using bluetooth. There are known vulnerabilities but if you keep
your phone up to date those have been patched. We try doing it in places with
crowds: arenas, restaurants, airports, and buses. It can be a nice ice breaker
if the receive isn't paranoid, or socially awkward.

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dstaley
AirDrop is one of a few iOS-only technologies I really wish Android and
Windows would adopt. I hate having to upload files from my Android phone to
Google Drive, open the Google Drive web app (which isn't a quick loader mind
you), find the file, and then download it to my computer. Android Beam (may it
rest in peace) was a close alternative, but even then it only worked Android-
to-Android, and both devices required NFC.

~~~
Apotheos
Is your computer a Mac? I just plug my phone directly into my PC to move
files.

~~~
dstaley
Yeah, macOS doesn't support the MTP protocol, and the Android File Transfer
app has been broken for ages now.

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lessclue
Veronica could’ve just turned Airdrop off and moved on with her life.

~~~
T3OU-736
Eh. Sorta. The small form factor of pocket computers belies their
functionality, and makes most people treat them as if they are much simpler
devices than they really are. The fact that there isn't a manual of operations
included with it doesn't help - when was the last time a manual on settings
and their ramifications was included with the device? Reasonable defaults, I
guess?

~~~
snazz
Isn’t the default “contacts only”?

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yalogin
I had no idea Airdrop is this popular. Do we have numbers on this? Does it
have competition? How is the competition doing?

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rayiner
We need mandatory military service for people 16-20.

~~~
snerbles
I saw more dicks drawn on random objects when I was in the service than
anywhere else.

~~~
Tharkun
The ancient Romans apparently enjoyed drawing dicks in public toilets and
such. We may think we're more civilized, but it's doubtful that we are.

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camillomiller
Absolutely not a thing in Europe or Asia.

~~~
silverfox17
Are you sure? Because the first thing I Googled seems to say otherwise

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rolltiide
Airdrop is pretty much why I'll never get an android, and believe me those
android phones are looking pretty sexy these days!

Still, its a serious social handicap. At least the emojis ALMOST translate to
the same things on a lot of non-Apple devices now

Nobody:

Android users: BUT ACTUALLY there's this convoluted way to do it for a whole
decade that never works, and look at all this control I have over my device

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Jonnax
I'm surprised that privacy focussed Apple allows you to leave your phone
broadcasting itself indefinitely.

At least that's how I presume Airdrop works.

I'm surprised they mention getting lots of requests can crash or slow down the
phone.

~~~
js2
AirDrop reception has three modes: everyone, contacts only, receiving off
(send only).

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baud147258
It also depends on what's the default is

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js2
The default is contacts only. I don't know a single iOS user, including my
technically clueless mom, who doesn't know how to change the setting.

~~~
rconti
That was harsh.

I've had friends AirDrop me stuff. I was pretty sure it was contacts only by
default. Had to search in settings to find it though, sure enough, contacts
only.

~~~
js2
Sorry. You can get to it from the iOS Control Center more easily. Force/long
touch the box with the wireless controls if you don’t already see the AirDrop
icon in that box.

~~~
rconti
I figured it was something like that. I could picture it. The force touch
actions are such a great idea but they need to be more intuitive for the 99%
of people who don't RTFM and memorize what has an action. It can be so hit or
miss.

