Shan Boodram — certified sexologist, intimacy educator, podcast host, and all around sex education star — knows a thing or two about sending sexy selfies. With a touring musician for a partner, nudes have become an important part of her intimate life. And Shan is also a new mom: she welcomed her second child last month. 

But what do those two things have to do with each other? Well, new baby means new pics means she’s handing her phone over to friends and family a lot. And since her partner is currently on tour, that photo reel contains a bit more than Grandma probably wants to see. Let’s just say it’s firmly NSFS — Not Safe For Scrollers.

That’s one of the reasons Shan teamed up with Avast on the #KeepYourPrivatesPrivate campaign, which is all about helping consenting adults share their intimate moments via text. And y’all are certainly sharing: according to a pre-pandemic survey conducted by Avast, Americans were sending 1.8 million nudes per day and that four in 10 Americans have sent a nude photo at some point. 

That’s a lot of nudes! But we also found that most people don’t know how to keep their nudes safe. After all, while you obviously took those selfies for a specific person, that doesn’t mean you want to share them with the world. Or, in Shan’s case, her Auntie who is just trying to coo over photos of the new baby. 

Because, unfortunately, not everyone is going to treat you and your nudes with the respect you deserve. For example, there are many, many documented cases of “revenge porn,” where a disgruntled ex shares nudes without the subject’s permission. There have been cases when hackers break into someone’s device, steal their nudes, and publish them online. (See: the recent Netflix documentary, The Most Hated Man On The Internet.) Sometimes they are taken by people whom we have trusted to help us fix a problem, And then there are cases of people just being careless with the nudes someone else has sent them, which may not be malicious but does have the same negative effect.

With all of that in mind, here are three tips from Shan on how to #KeepYourPrivatesPrivate with Avast One, our all-in-one cybersecurity solution.

1. Use a photo vault

Avast’s Photo Vault lets you lock up your photos so that they’re safe from scrollers — and literally anyone else, as long as you don’t share your password for it.

“Consider it like a lockbox in your phone,” Shan says. “And it’s actually on your phone — not a cloud — so not even Avast can access it.”

Your Photo Vault is also a great place to store any nudes that have been shared with you, because just like you wouldn’t want someone to share your nudes without consent, you also shouldn’t share other people’s nudes. (Unless you’re both into that. In which case: You do you!)

“Stats from Avast’s survey have really emphasized for me why it is so crucial to have conversations about safety, consent and intent with anyone I choose to share intimate content with,” Shan says. “Which makes sense since in your most intimate and vulnerable physical moments, we talk about consent, intent and safety right? So in your most intimate and vulnerable digital moments, why not do the same?”

2. Use a VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts all of your web traffic from your device, which means everything you do and send online is safe from hackers and other prying eyes. Picture a reinforced steel tube going from your device to your server, with all of your information safely flowing inside of it. That’s the kind of protection you get with Avast’s VPN.

“A VPN is a 21st-century must for keeping your personal life private whether you are dating online, in a long-distance relationship, or someone who uses shared or free Wi-Fi,” Shan says.

“You can use them on a desktop or a mobile device — truly, especially on a mobile device.” 

3. Protect your devices

While accidental exposure via scrolling is definitely a concern, there’s also the possibility of someone gaining access to your device (and your nudes) via a link with malware (aka a virus) on it. Luckily, Avast One covers that, too: Our flagship product, backed by award-winning antivirus, protects you from phishing attacks, websites stacked with malicious links, and any other attempts to break into your hard drive.

“Your privacy doesn’t end in your digital library,” Shan says. “There are more ways you can keep your private life — including your dating apps, location and personal information — private with Avast. Best of all, it’s a no-brainer (aka not a wallet drainer) to start being smarter about your sexy starting right now.”

If you’re ready to make sure that your phone is SFS, download Avast One (for free!) now.