2023-11-27 13:20:00
The United States Police have issued an alert regarding the possibility of a new feature recently launched in iOS 17 put the safety of children and adolescents at risk. The warning refers to NameDrop, a feature that promises to facilitate the exchange of information between iPhone owners, but which can be a “full mess” for scammers and other criminals.
As Apple explains, the tool makes it possible to exchange contact data such as name, phone number, date of birth, etc. by bringing the upper part of two Apple cell phones closer together. Despite the practicality of using this “virtual business card”, the resource can be a threat by exposing sensitive data, especially those of minors.
The new feature is enabled by default when updating your smartphone to iOS 17, but it is possible to disable the exchange of information through the system settings. To do this, tap the “Settings” button and go to “General”, then click on “AirDrop” and disable the “Bring devices closer” option, which must be marked with a green key.
Even when NameDrop is activated, the cell phone owner must tap “Share” for the data to be sent to the recipient. This layer of security, however, is not enough to protect children and young people, who can be easily convinced to exchange data with malicious people.
See the feature in operation below:
On the Watertown Police Department page in Connecticut, many parents and guardians reported being unaware of the function and not knowing that it is activated by default when installing iOS 17.
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