New software that automatically erases photos uploaded to websites such as Facebook and MySpace after a certain time has been launched.
German firm X-Pire claims to have identified a gap in the market - the fear of loading your personal photos online in case they are used against you at a future date.
Privacy protector: Software that automatically erases photos uploaded to websites such as Facebook and MySpace after a certain time has been launched
The software prevents the increasingly frequent occurrence of someone being refused a job or running into other embarrassing difficulties after posting a photo that should have been kept private.
But Michael Backes, the founder of X-Pire, claims his company offers a solution to the problem.
Before the user posts a photo, all he has to do is drag it into the X-Pire programme which assigns it an electronic key that is valid only for a set time period.
If someone wants to view the photo at a later date, the server checks whether the key has expired. If it has, the photo is blocked and cannot be displayed.
Mr Backes said that while social network users currently have the ability to delete photos from sites like Facebook, most 'don't get round to it'.
'Most Facebook users, for example, are passive users,' he said.
'They go on, they put on a lot of private information and almost never come back on or they forget their password.
'The software is not designed for people who understand how to protect their data but rather for the huge mass of people who want to solve the problem at its core and not to have to think about it any more.'
However, Mr Backes warned that third parties can still view and save users' photos while they are in the valid time period.
He added: 'When people put photos on line, it's so they can be seen. Our software is not a panacea, not absolute protection.' ( dalymail.co.uk )
X-Pire costs two euros (£1.67) per month.
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