Cyberflashing

The AirDrop icon. AirDrop has been used for cyberflashing.

Cyberflashing involves sending obscene pictures to strangers online, often done through Bluetooth or AirDrop transfers between devices.[1][2][3]

The first mainstream coinage of the term occurred around 13 August 2015, after a female commuter was AirDropped two pictures of a penis. The case was reported to the British Transport Police who indicated that as the pictures were declined, insufficient data was recorded by the receiving phone and could not provide suitable evidence.[2]

  1. ^ Gallagher, Sophie (15 August 2017). "New 'Cyber-Flashing' Trend Going Unreported Because Victims Aren't Coming Forward". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b Bell, Sarah (13 August 2015). "Police investigate 'first cyber-flashing' case". BBC. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  3. ^ Dolan, Eric W. (23 April 2023). "Cyberflashing research: "Partner hunting" identified as key factor behind sending unsolicited sexual images". PsyPost. Retrieved 24 April 2023.