Is it safe to upload photos to an online print lab if the site doesn’t appear to use encryption?
Asked 3/7/2017
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2 answers
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I’m in the UK and comparing pro photo printing labs. Some sites don’t seem to use a secure connection throughout, and I’m concerned about uploading personal images and payment details. How much does HTTPS/TLS matter for online print services, and what are the main security risks to consider?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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However, none of these services provides a encrypted connection, which makes me nervous about the safety of my personal data and images. Should I be worried ?
The connection is of little practical importance, IMO. The odds that someone is stealing your images by intercepting your communications is pretty low, given there are so many easier ways to steal images. You and your images would need to be of spectacular importance to warrant the effort required to tap into your connections.
What's probably of more concern (to you) is the potential security of the servers that are holding the images while they are being queued for printing. Again, unless your images are of considerable value and you have reason to worry about their security, it seems unlikely that you can do much about it short of actually printing them yourself (and as a pro that's an option to give consideration). Printing yourself would effectively bypass all your concerns about internet security.
But keep this in perspective and if your images are valuable or potentially valuable you probably would be better to register them for copyright (i.e. formally). This would at least give you some hope of financial recovery if your images were stolen and used by someone else without your consent.
Originally by user46861. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user46861
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
HTTPS/TLS is important, especially for login and payment pages. You should be concerned about sending credit card or other personal information over an unencrypted connection.
For the images themselves, interception in transit is usually a lower practical risk unless your work is unusually sensitive or valuable. In most cases, someone trying to steal photos has easier methods than tapping your connection.
A bigger concern may be how securely the print lab stores files on its servers while they are queued for printing. That’s harder for you to verify, and if your images are highly sensitive, any third-party lab introduces some risk.
Also, a site may support HTTPS even if it isn’t obvious at first glance, so check for a padlock icon and an https:// address, particularly on account, upload, and checkout pages.
In short: yes, use a lab with HTTPS for uploads and payments if possible; definitely avoid entering payment details on an unencrypted page; and if the photos are especially confidential, think carefully before uploading them to any external service.
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