all-in-one privacy solution":["Proton Unlimited is een all-in-one privacy-oplossing"],"Black Friday":["Black Friday"],"No ads. Privacy by default.":["Geen advertenties. Standaard privacy."],"People before profits":["Mensen vóór winst"],"Security through transparency":["Veiligheid door openheid"],"The best Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } deals":["De beste ${ BLACK_FRIDAY }-deals voor Proton Mail"],"The world’s only community- supported email service":["'s Werelds enige door de community ondersteunde e-mailservice"]},"specialoffer:limited":{"${ hours } hour":["${ hours } uur","${ hours } uur"],"${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } and ${ secondsLeft } left":["Nog ${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } en ${ secondsLeft } resterend"],"${ minutes } minute":["${ minutes } minuut","${ minutes } minuten"],"${ seconds } second":["${ seconds } seconde","${ seconds } seconden"],"Limited time offer":["Aanbieding beperkt geldig"]},"specialoffer:listitem":{"Create multiple addresses":["Maak meerdere e-mailadressen aan"],"Hide-my-email aliases":["Hide-my-email-aliassen"],"Quickly unsubscribe from newsletters":["Meld u eenvoudig af voor nieuwsbrieven"],"Use your own domain name":["Gebruik uw eigen domeinnaam"]},"specialoffer:logos":{"As featured in":["Zoals te lezen in"]},"specialoffer:metadescription":{"Get an encrypted email that protects your privacy":["Kies voor beveiligde e-mail die uw privacy beschermt"]},"specialoffer:metatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off":["Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Tot 40% korting"]},"specialoffer:newmetadescription":{"Get up to 40% off Proton Mail subscriptions this Black Friday. Find great deals on our secure end-to-end encrypted email plans.":["Profiteer tijdens Black Friday van wel 40% korting op Proton Mail-abonnementen. Bekijk geweldige aanbiedingen voor onze veilige, end-to-end versleutelde e-mailabonnementen."]},"specialoffer:newmetatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday sale | Up to 40% off secure email":["Proton Mail Black Friday Sale | Tot 40% korting op veilige e-mail"]},"specialoffer:note":{"* Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["*U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor het eerste jaar"],"*Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["*U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor de eerste 2 jaar"],"30-day money-back guarantee":["30 dagen niet-goed-geld-terug-garantie"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor de eerste 2 jaar"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor het eerste jaar"],"You save ${ SAVE_SUM }":["U bespaart ${ SAVE_SUM }"]},"specialoffer:off":{"${ DISCOUNT } off":["−${ DISCOUNT }"],"${ PERCENT_OFF } off":["−${ PERCENT_OFF }"]},"specialoffer:testimonial":{"I love my ProtonMail":["Ik ben fan van ProtonMail"],"My favorite email service":["Mijn favoriete e-mailservice"],"Thanks Proton for keeping us all safe in the complicated internet universe.":["Proton houdt ons allemaal veilig in het complexe internetuniversum."],"You get what you pay for. In the case of big tech, if you pay nothing, you get used. I quit using Gmail and switched to @ProtonMail":["Je krijgt waarvoor je betaalt. In het geval van Big Tech betekent 'gratis' dat je wordt gebruikt. Ik ben gestopt met Gmail en overgestapt op @ProtonMail"]},"specialoffer:time":{"Days":["Dagen"],"Hours":["Uur"],"Min":["Min"]},"specialoffer:title":{"And much more":["En nog veel meer"],"Make your inbox yours":["Personaliseer uw inbox"],"Safe from trackers":["Beschermd tegen trackers"],"Stay organized":["Houd overzicht"],"Black Friday email deals":["Black Friday-deals voor e-mail"],"Don’t just take our word for it":["U hoeft ons niet te geloven"],"Our story":["Ons verhaal"],"Transfer your data from Google in one click":["Zet uw gegevens van Google over met één klik"]},"specialoffer:tooltip":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, connect up to 10 devices, access worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé. Met ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servers in meer dan ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } landen, verbinding met maximaal 10 apparaten, wereldwijd toegang tot streamingdiensten, malware- en advertentieblokkering, en meer."],"Easily share your calendar with your family, friends or colleagues, and view external calendars.":["Deel uw agenda eenvoudig met uw familie, vrienden of collega's, en bekijk externe agenda's."],"Includes support for 1 custom email domain, 10 email addresses, 10 hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Ondersteuning voor 1 aangepast e-maildomein, 10 e-mailadressen, 10 hide-my-email-aliassen, gedeelde agenda's en meer."],"Includes support for 3 custom email domains, 15 email addresses, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Ondersteuning voor 3 aangepaste e-maildomeinen, 15 e-mailadressen, onbeperkt hide-my-email-aliassen, gedeelde agenda's en meer."],"Manage up to 25 calendars, mobile apps, secured with end-to-end encryption, 1-click calendar import from Google, and more.":["Beheer tot 25 agenda's, mobiele apps, beveiligd met end-to-end versleuteling, agenda's van Google importeren met 1 klik, en meer."]},"Status Banner":{"At the moment we are experiencing issues with the Proton VPN service":["Momenteel werkt de dienst van Proton VPN niet naar behoren"],"Learn more":["Meer informatie"]},"Status banner":{"Learn more":["Meer informatie"],"Please note that at the moment we are experiencing issues with the ${ issues[0] } service.":["We ondervinden op dit moment problemen met de ${ issues[0] }service."],"We are experiencing issues with one or more services at the moment.":["We ondervinden momenteel problemen met een of meer services."]},"suggestions":{"Suggestions":["Suggesties"]},"Support":{"Sub category":["Subcategorie","Subcategorieën"]},"Support article":{"${ readingTime } min":["${ readingTime } min","${ readingTime } min"],"Category":["Categorie","Categorieën"],"Didn’t find what you were looking for?":["Niet gevonden wat u zocht?"],"General contact":["Algemene contactgegevens"],"Get help":["Krijg hulp"],"Legal contact":["Contactgegevens voor juridische zaken"],"Media contact":["Contactgegevens voor media"],"Partnerships contact":["Contactgegevens voor partnerschappen"],"Reading":["Lezen"]},"Support categories":{"Browse Proton product support":["Zoeken in Proton-productondersteuning"]},"Support category":{"There is no article in this category yet.":["Er zijn nog geen artikelen in deze categorie."]},"Support troubleshooting":{"--- Select ---":["--- Selecteren ---"],"App version":["App-versie"],"Browser":["Browser"],"Check if this helps":["Kijk of dit helpt"],"Choose a category for your question":["Kies een categorie voor uw vraag"],"Choose a product":["Kies een product"],"Did this solve your issue ?":["Heeft dit uw probleem opgelost?"],"Faster assistance is just a few clicks away — please make your selections":["Snellere ondersteuning binnen een paar klikken — maak uw keuze"],"No, contact support":["Nee, contact opnemen met ondersteuning"],"Proton account":["Proton-account"],"Proton Bridge":["Proton Bridge"],"Proton Calendar":["Proton Calendar"],"Proton Drive":["Proton Drive"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Proton Mail":["Proton Mail"],"Proton Pass":["Proton Pass"],"Proton VPN":["Proton VPN"],"Thank you for your feedback":["Bedankt voor uw feedback"],"Troubleshooting":["Probleemoplossing"],"What can we help with ?":["Waar mogen we u bij helpen?"],"Yes":["Ja"]},"support_modal_search_query":{"Search query":["Zoekopdracht"]},"support_search_button":{"Search":["Zoeken"]},"support_search_i_am_looking_for":{"I'm looking for":["Ik ben op zoek naar"]},"SupportForm":{"For a faster resolution, please report the issue from the Bridge app: Help > Report a problem.":["Om problemen sneller op te lossen, meldt u het via de Bridge-app: Help > Een probleem melden."],"Information":["Informatie"]},"SupportForm:option":{"Account Security":["Accountbeveiliging"],"Contacts":["Contactpersonen"],"Custom email domain":["Aangepast e-maildomein"],"Email delivery and Spam":["E-maillevering en spam"],"Encryption":["Versleuteling"],"Login and password":["Inlognaam en wachtwoord"],"Merge aliases and accounts":["Aliassen en accounts samenvoegen"],"Migrate to Proton":["Migreren naar Proton"],"Notifications":["Meldingen"],"Other":["Overig"],"Plans and billing":["Abonnementen en facturering"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Sign up":["Inschrijven"],"Storage":["Opslag"],"Users, addresses, and identities":["Gebruikers, adressen en identiteiten"]},"SupportForm:optionIntro":{"Select a topic":["Kies een onderwerp"]},"swiss_baseed_feature":{"Swiss based":["Gevestigd in Zwitserland"]},"Testimonial":{"Awards":["Awards"],"Customers":["Klanten"],"Featured":["Featured"],"Go to testimonial source":["Naar bron van testimonial"],"Reviews":["Reviews"],"Videos":["Video's"]},"Text":{"Find the plan that's right for you":["Vind het abonnement dat bij u past"],"If you need help, check out our ${ supportLink }.":["Bekijk onze ${ supportLink } als u hulp nodig hebt."],"The page you’re looking for might have been removed, or it could be an\nold link.":["De pagina waarnaar u op zoek bent, is mogelijk verwijderd, of u gebruikt een oude koppeling."]},"Tooltip":{"More information":["Meer informatie"]},"tooltip_calendar":{"Create up to 20 custom & shareable encrypted calendars. On top of that, add up to 5 calendars from friends, family, colleagues, and organizations.":["Maak tot 20 aangepaste en deelbare versleutelde agenda's aan. Voeg daar bovenop tot 5 agenda's toe van vrienden, familie, collega's en organisaties."]},"tooltip_vpn":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé. Met meer dan ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servers in meer dan ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } landen, de hoogste VPN-snelheid, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN-verbindingen, wereldwijde streamingdiensten, malware- en advertentieblokkering, en meer."],"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, 10 VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé. Met meer dan ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servers in meer dan ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } landen, de hoogste VPN-snelheid, 10 VPN-verbindingen, wereldwijde streamingdiensten, malware- en advertentieblokkering, en meer."]},"version_history_label":{"Version history":["Versiegeschiedenis"]},"version_history_tooltip":{"Store up to ${ versionHistoryNumber } versions of each file for up to ${ years } years":["Bewaar tot ${ versionHistoryNumber } versies van elk bestand tot wel ${ years } jaar"]},"vpn_features_link":{"View VPN plans":["VPN-abonnementen bekijken"]},"vpn_features_useCase":{"Access blocked content and browse privately":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé"]}}},"unleashApi":"https://account.proton.me/api"};
// We need to import data (the framework context) from the server
// This Astro feature with define:vars works well but creates an inline script
// So we can't directly import the initFramework helper, we have to store the context
window.frameworkContext = frameworkContext;
})();
The way most people share photos online is not private. Even if you search “share photos online privately”, the top results offer options like Facebook and Google Photos. These companies have access to your pictures, and Google Photos even scans and analyzes the faces in them. Other companies like Apple and Dropbox, which are sometimes thought to be more private, also have access to your photos. Photos in Apple’s iCloud are not end-to-end encrypted by default.
So how can you share photos with someone privately and securely over the internet? There are several methods. We’ve picked the four simplest, along with some recommended services you can try.
Before listing a few private photo-sharing methods, it’s worth understanding what we mean by privacy and why Google, Apple, Facebook, Dropbox, WeTransfer, and others don’t qualify.
Each of the services mentioned above uses some form of encryption to protect files as you upload them to their servers, and they encrypt your images while they store them. However, they also retain a key to decrypt your files, meaning they always have access to your images.
True privacy is only possible by using end-to-end encryption, which ensures your files are locked with your own private key before they ever leave your computer or mobile device. This lets you store photos securely and genuinely protects your privacy because besides you, no one, not even Proton has access to your files.
1. Cloud storage
In the early days of Facebook, many people uploaded whole photo albums, often publicly, to the website. While this may have been convenient for sharing, it was catastrophic for privacy, and the practice has largely died out.
These days, if you want to upload hundreds of pictures to the cloud privately and securely while still being able to share your photos, you can use an end-to-end encrypted cloud storage service. Once your photos are safely on the cloud, you can share them with a password-protected link.
Proton Drive offers up to 1 GB of free cloud storage. Here’s how to store photos and folders:
To upload files or folders, drag and drop them into the main Proton Drive window. You can select multiple files and folders to upload. (Alternatively, you can also click the New upload or Upload file button to select files to upload or click Upload folder to select folders.)
If you want to share your photos, go to My files, select the file or folder you want to share, and click the Get link icon.
You can adjust the privacy settings, such as adding a password or setting an expiration date. Click Save when you’re done. And then click Copy link.
2. File transfer
Another common way to share photos is by using a file transfer service. Unfortunately, many of these services can see all your pictures.
One free and end-to-end encrypted alternative is Wormhole(new window). The service lets you share up to 10 GB of files. Here’s how:
On the next screen, you can select how long your file will be available, up to 24 hours or 100 downloads.
You will have three options to send the file: by copying a link, sending by email, or showing a QR code.
An important thing to keep in mind is that if you send your link via Gmail, Outlook, or another non-private email service, your file link will be accessible to those service providers. We recommend using an end-to-end encrypted email service or messaging app, such as one of those listed below.
3. Secure email
Sharing photos via email has some significant drawbacks, but it’s worth including email on this list because it’s so common. The biggest obstacle to sharing photos over email is the file size limit. Most email platforms cap attachments at 25 MB. Certainly if you’re trying to send whole folders, email is not the way to go.
But if you just want to send a few pictures at a time, you can use an end-to-end encrypted email service like Proton Mail. You can set passwords and expiration dates for your emails, similar to what you can do to your files with Proton Drive. And all Proton services use the same end-to-end and zero-access encryption, which happens automatically and by default.
Here’s how securely send pictures via Proton Mail:
In the composer window, enter your recipient’s email address in the To field.
Enter an email subject line in the Subject field.
Click the paper clip icon to add an attachment.
Select your file(s) and click Open.
If you’re sending your photos to a non-Proton Mail email address, your message won’t be end-to-end encrypted by default. But you can add end-to-end encryption by clicking the lock icon. Set a password and click Set encryption before sending.
To set your message to expire, click More options (the three dots icon) and select Expiration time. If you’re sending to a non-Proton Mail email address, you can also set a password for the message from this window. When you’re done, click Set.
Send your encrypted email.
4. Encrypted messaging
Almost all messaging apps let you send photos and videos. But real privacy is only offered on a few. Even WhatsApp, which uses end-to-end encryption, is lacking when it comes to privacy because it shares metadata with its parent company, Meta.
We recommend using Signal(new window), an open-source and fully encrypted alternative. Here’s how to send pictures with it on your phone:
Tap the pencil icon to start a new message, and either find a contact by their phone number, invite them to Signal, or select a contact from the list.
In the chat, you can select a photo that’s already on your phone by tapping the plus sign icon. Or you can tap the camera icon to take a new photo or video. The benefit of creating the photo directly in the Signal app is that it won’t save to your phone or get backed up in the cloud.
Tap the blue arrow to send.
Signal also lets you turn on disappearing messages. Tap your contact’s name and select Disappearing messages. Then you can choose a time period after which messages, including images, will be wiped from each person’s chat history.
You can also share photos with groups by tapping the pencil icon and tapping New Group.
Final thoughts
Your photos are some of your most intimate personal data. Their metadata and the images themselves contain details of your contacts, whereabouts, interests, and activities — not to mention your biometric data in the form of faces and even fingerprints.
While most people would acknowledge that pictures are among their most sensitive personal effects, few take any measures to protect their privacy. Proton and the other encrypted services listed above make it easy to share your pictures with friends and loved ones without compromising your privacy.
FAQ
What is the most secure way to send pictures?
The most secure way to send pictures is by using end-to-end encrypted messaging applications or services. This way, only you and your intended recipient have access to the files. Examples include Proton Drive, Signal, and Proton Mail.
How can you share a photo album online?
The easiest way to share a photo album online is to put all the pictures into a folder on your computer. Then upload the folder to a secure cloud storage service. From there, you can share a link to your photo album.
What is the best way to store thousands of photos?
While services like Google Photos and iCloud can back up many thousands of pictures, they do not ensure your privacy by default. Proton Drive lets you back up unlimited photos and secure them with end-to-end encryption.
Is Google Photos safe for private photos?
Google Photos is secure but not private. While the company uses encryption and offers good account security, such as two-factor authentication, Google scans all your pictures and even analyzes any faces in them.
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