PARIS, FRANCE – Today, 86% of French people between the ages of 12 and 17 are equipped with smartphones*. A majority of minors lucky enough to have access to nearly unlimited movies, games, apps, and articles, all in the palm of their hand. But these minors are also choice prey for sexual aggressors.
“Cyber-flashers” have been getting better at what they do with every minute that goes by and in 2022, they’re at the forefront of technology. Because now, in addition to sending “dick pics” on social networks, by SMS … they use Bluetooth via AirDrop meaning that, in any public space, one could see a penis pop up on your screen without consent.
And if getting a “dick pic” at 20 years old is harassment, getting it at 12 years old on a cell phone can feel like a bomb.
Faced with this scourge, the association Innocence in Danger decided to take action and use this very media to make parents aware of a problem that could deeply affect their children.
Intrusive Airdrops persist, in part because it’s so simple, and in part because it’s so difficult to trace their authors. If your iPhone is set to default for many options, then anyone can send you anything, so long as Bluetooth is enabled. Dispatch is direct, can be done without connection to the Internet and doesn’t pass by a third-party server, unlike with mail and instant messaging, where it leaves traces.
The simplicity of sending and using AirDrop is what gave Innocence in Danger the idea to deliver an important message with a new awareness campaign: AirDrop Gate.
A person in the subway on the way to work, and despite it being rush hour, silence reigns throughout the car – every, or nearly every passenger is staring at his smartphone. Suddenly, a notification pops up – someone wants to send a picture. Without thinking, without suspecting anything, they press accept and then… it’s too late. They’ve just accepted a dick pic.
“Your child could have received one too. You’re lucky, this time it’s only a boat mooring. But it could have been worse,” explains the text under the picture.
The solution to not being harassed: change AirDrop settings from Everyone to Contacts Only.
Since AirDrop is a proximity-based media, in order to spread the message to as many people as possible, Innocence in Danger and ROSA PARIS called upon mobile developers to hack iPhones in order to automatically send a message to all devices within range. Volunteers just had to carry one of these phones and the message would be sent to all the devices they came across without any action on their part, an average of 600 per day per iPhone.
In addition to public transport, Innocence in Danger targeted bars and restaurants, shopping malls, as well as several sporting events (Stade de France, Paris Marathon), cultural events (cinemas, Accor Arena, Zenith of Paris, the Philharmonie of Paris), and, since it’s France, some demonstrations. And to warn future iPhone owners, Innocence in Danger also hacked iPhones at the Apple stores on the Champs-Elysées and near the Paris Opéra to display its message.
Using only 30 iPhones, over a period of 2 weeks, the operation affected iPhones of over 250,000 people (data collected thanks to the program installed on the pirated iPhones).
“The sudden appearance of such images can not only shock, but for some fragile children can activate either symptoms of psycho-trauma, panic attacks, states of anxiety, intrusive thoughts or even nightmares recalling previous aggressions that can lead to risky behaviors or a sustained state of shock, a dissociation that puts them in a state of emotional anesthesia, leaving them vulnerable to even worse attacks, for lack of being able to defend themselves. Yes, we need parental control. And yes, there needs to be the strictest penalties for such mailings,” said Gilles Lazimi, Doctorat theCentre de Santé en Seine-Saint-Denis et membre du Haut Conseil à l’Egalité Entre les Femmes et les Hommes.
“iPhone users with AirDrop enabled may unknowingly be exposing personal information to complete strangers. In a report published recently, researchers from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Darmstadt in Germany revealed the discovery of a security flaw in Apple’s AirDrop.
“It’s widely known that exposure to pornography at a young age can lead to a multitude of negative consequences. Among other risks, when children view pornography depicting abusive and misogynistic acts, they may come to view this behavior as normal and acceptable. And this cannot, should not, be acceptable,” said Homayra Sellier, President, Innocence in Danger.
CREDITS
CLIENT
Présidente IED: Homayra Sellier
Communication & Marketing IED: Barbara Arbib
Médecin au centre de santé de Romainville en Seine-Saint-Denis et membre du haut Conseil à l’égalité entre les femmes et les hommes: Gilles Lazimi
CREATIVE AGENCY : ROSA PARIS
Co-fondateurs: Jean-Patrick Chiquiar, Gilles Fichteberg et Jean-François Sacco
Directeurs de la création: Gilles Fichteberg et Jean-François Sacco
Directeurs de création: Nicolas Gadesaude & Julien Saurin
Directeurs artistiques & Concepteurs-Rédacteurs: Sébastien Mertens, William Verdel
Motion Designer: Franck Rakoto
Directeur conseil: Camille Courant
Planneur Stratégique: Basile Viault
Directrice de la communication: Lauren Weber-Staricky
Chargées de communication: Manon Grébert, Marie Smid
*Source ARCEP
