According to a new study there is quite a lot of sexting being done these days.

The study “Love, Relationships, and Technology” was designed to figure out just how many people send texts or pics of a sexual nature. It was done by McAfee, an Intel-owned firm that specializes in software security, and they found that the majority of people, 96%, use their phones for picture taking and 49% send out or get content that is of a sexual nature. They found that about half of the people who get sexual content store it, and while most of the sexting, 77%, is being done between significant others, 16% is between strangers.

“Far too many people are sharing email and bank account passwords with their partners,” McAfee said in the study. “By sharing too much you run the risk of having your information go public without your knowledge, posing a threat to your privacy and identity.”

“With all the stories we’ve heard about intimate photos being leaked, it’s hard to believe people are still sharing their passwords,” said Gary Davis, who is McAfee’s vice president of consumer business. “Ultimately, they’re increasing the risks of these photos becoming public and possibly jeopardizing their identity and reputation. Consumers must take precautions and use mobile security to ensure that what should be private stays private.”

[via News Republic, McAfee Blog, image via Joi’s flickr]