Professor Dr. Ali Murat Kırık, a faculty member at Marmara University’s Faculty of Communication, warned that photo trends spreading on social networks may go beyond entertainment and become a means of collecting biometric data and analyzing users’ behavior. He made his remarks in a report published by Anadolu Agency on September 14, 2026.
These trends include 1980s-style photos, images that simulate childhood, transforming a person into an “action figure,” as well as participation formats such as “Add your photo.” Kırık believes their appeal is linked to producing personal and emotional images that spread rapidly, while processing these results relies on highly detailed analysis of close-up facial images.
What Can These Applications Analyze?
According to Kırık, applications may process the positions of the eyes, the distances between the nose and mouth, and distinctive facial features. These elements differ from a phone number, email address, or physical address in terms of changeability; the face, as he described it, is more specific and sensitive data within the scope of biometric data.
The academic linked this data to the need for large quantities of information to develop artificial intelligence models, noting that this technology is used in fields ranging from defense and intelligence to cybersecurity and military decision-support systems. At the same time, he explained that the presence of a photograph on a social network does not automatically mean that another artificial intelligence company can obtain and use it; each system is subject to its own circumstances and policies.
Why Does This News Matter?
The importance of the warning stems from the fact that the potential risk is not limited to celebrities or public figures. Kırık said that processing citizens’ images and voices could affect systems that rely on biometric verification, such as smart locks, mobile devices, and home-protection mechanisms. In his view, access to facial or voice data could create risks for these systems, without the source providing a specific incident proving that a breach occurred in this manner.
He also stressed that sharing a photograph with the user’s consent does not eliminate the need to understand what the user is actually agreeing to. The spread of a trend may lead users to upload images voluntarily, while the way the data is retained and processed and the scope of its use remain linked to the terms of each application or platform.
Practical Steps for Users
Kırık suggested several measures to reduce exposure to risks:
- Read the terms of use and privacy policies before installing applications.
- Review the data-control sections in the settings of social networks and artificial intelligence tools, and disable options that allow images or voices to be used to train models.
- Do not grant an application broad access to the photo gallery or microphone; provide only the necessary permissions.
- If a violation or harm occurs, request that the content be removed from the platform and retain screenshots, then file a report with the public prosecutor’s office and security authorities when necessary.
Kırık referred to users’ rights set out, according to the article, in Turkish Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data and Law No. 7253. The actual limits on the use of images remain linked to the policies and technical and legal mechanisms of each service, a point for which the source provides no details.