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Q&A

Have a question about how to delete digital drama from your life? You can submit questions to be answered by trained experts by sending an email to QandA@athinline.org. We will not be able to post an answer to every individual question, but we will answer the most common, so check back often.

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QUESTION

How long does a picture sent out from your phone last in your phone records where they are available to still be viewed?

ANSWER

The answer is that it depends on your mobile carrier (AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, etc.) and, in some cases, it also depends on the cell phone manufacturer (Apple, LG, RIM, etc.). Ask your carrier how long they keep multimedia files sent using their service and whether you have a choice to delete them faster. Ask the carrier who they might share it with (legally). Ask the manufacturer if they have created any features that store the images locally where you might not see them. See the end of this column for links to support from mobile carriers and cell phone manufacturers.

If you’re worried about that picture staying in your phone records, you should also be worried about where it goes after it leaves your phone. Every image and message sent using your cell phone has a long list of witnesses:

  1. You and others who can access your phone
  2. The cell phone carrier and anyone they share it with
  3. The person who received it and anyone who accessed their phone
  4. Anyone who received a forward from the original recipient
  5. If it was saved or posted somewhere, anyone who saw the post, saved or printed the posted photo out
  6. Anyone who is spying on your cell communications (there are software and companies that are designed to do that)
  7. Anyone with whom any of the above people shared the image, and so on and so forth...

Like the Energizer bunny, the pic you never want anyone to see keeps going and going, and...The time to think about this is BEFORE, not after you take and send them.

This information is provided by Parry Aftab, Executive Director of WiredSafety.org & Stopcyberbullying.org

Access Support:

Mobile Carriers

Cell Phone Manufacturers

 

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Chatter

  • Why didnt we think of this!?!? DriveSafe.ly reads texts and emails to you while you're driving - http://www.drivesafe.ly/
  • @Graceonthoughts Thanks for the support btw!
  • @bitty_boop Just checked out that site and we'd have to agree with you. Their tagline is pretty mean too :-/
  • Are gossip blogs just another news source, or a way to cyberbully? Where do you draw the line with what is/isn't ok to post about someone?
  • !!! RT @ConnectMinds Solid Gold: #ConnectMinds @cspan @a_thin_line nominated 4 Golden Beacons, highest honor in cable http://bit.ly/9W3yqq
  • Three teens murdered after appearing on a Facebook "Kill List". http://bit.ly/aI4Jkv (via @mashable)
  • Who knew you could go to jail for sending a friend request? This guy found out the hard way... http://bit.ly/dsVSkc
  • Just curious, do you use Foursquare? What do you think of it?
  • Celebrity surgeon killed in car crash after tweeting while driving http://bit.ly/c7Qpw1. Help end txting while driving http://bit.ly/b6bjPN
  • Justin Bieber is dealing with digital drama again :-/ Let's hope it wasnt him that posted this tweet: http://bit.ly/b5u8sf