Along with Google I/O, the company has also released updates for many of its popular apps, including Google Photos. The update for the photos app provides some good sharing features, but does it also come with privacy issues?
Share With Friends
The first of these new features is called Suggested Sharing. The feature is designed to remind you to share any recent photos taken and make suggestions from the library that may be worth sharing as well, along with contacts that they can be sent to. From there, the pictures are stored in a shared folder after being sent, and anyone who gets the shared photos get a prompt to share and add to the folder as well.
The second feature added in the Google Photos update is called Shared Libraries. With this, you can link your picture library with that of another person. When linked, you get to choose between sharing the whole library or only photos from a certain date.
The third feature is the new Photo Book. With it, photos get filtered and organized to create a digital photo album from your library. It also uses filters to find the best possible images which, once organized, are now ready for any final alterations that you may want to make.
Sharing Too Much?
Considering that Google Photos has crossed over 500 million users since it was launched, these sharing features are a very welcome addition. And while Suggested Sharing is going to streamline sharing and sending pictures between friends and family, the Shared Libraries could have some privacy problems.
If image libraries are filtered with certain people, Google AI will be able to enforce any limitations. However, if full access is chosen, the feature will assume that any photos in the library are meant to be there and are good to share.
There is a silver lining: This feature can only be used for one person, providing you with a level of control over who sees your pictures. That said, it still won't hide any pictures that you may have forgotten were there that you may want to keep private.
Private pictures ending up out in the public has become a problem for people, with them ending up on the internet and social media sites for all to see. So it stands to reason that, if privacy does prove to be a consistent problem, Google may have to make some changes to the way Google Photos shares pictures.
