A method, comprising: receiving, by an application executed on a first mobile device, a selection of a media file, wherein the media file is a picture or video, wherein the first mobile device is associated with an owner of the media file; receiving, by the application, an intended recipient of the selected media file; encrypting, by the application, the media file using a media file encryption key to produce an encrypted media file; encrypting, by the application, the media file encryption key using a public key of the intended recipient; attaching the encrypted media file encryption key to the encrypted media file; and transmitting, by application, the encrypted media file and attached encrypted media file encryption key to the intended recipient; receiving, by a second application on a second mobile device associated with the intended recipient, the encrypted media file; decrypting, by the second application, the encrypted media file key using a private key of the intended recipient to produce the media file encryption key; characterized by the following steps: determining, by the second application, whether the received encrypted media file includes distribution restrictions indicating whether the encrypted media file can be redistributed by the recipient, wherein when the distribution restrictions indicate that the encrypted media file can be redistributed, the method further comprises: receiving, by the second application, a further intended recipient of the decrypted media file; encrypting, by the second application, the media file encryption key using a public key of the further intended recipient; attaching the media file encryption key encrypted using the public key of the further intended recipient to the encrypted media file; and transmitting, by the second application, the encrypted media file with the attached media file encryption key encrypted using the public key of the further intended recipient to the further intended recipient. receiving, by an application executed on a first mobile device, a selection of a media file, wherein the media file is a picture or video, wherein the first mobile device is associated with an owner of the media file; receiving, by the application, an intended recipient of the selected media file; encrypting, by the application, the media file using a media file encryption key to produce an encrypted media file; encrypting, by the application, the media file encryption key using a public key of the intended recipient; attaching the encrypted media file encryption key to the encrypted media file; and transmitting, by application, the encrypted media file and attached encrypted media file encryption key to the intended recipient; receiving, by a second application on a second mobile device associated with the intended recipient, the encrypted media file; decrypting, by the second application, the encrypted media file key using a private key of the intended recipient to produce the media file encryption key; determining, by the second application, whether the received encrypted media file includes distribution restrictions indicating whether the encrypted media file can be redistributed by the recipient, wherein when the distribution restrictions indicate that the encrypted media file can be redistributed, the method further comprises: receiving, by the second application, a further intended recipient of the decrypted media file; encrypting, by the second application, the media file encryption key using a public key of the further intended recipient; attaching the media file encryption key encrypted using the public key of the further intended recipient to the encrypted media file; and transmitting, by the second application, the encrypted media file with the attached media file encryption key encrypted using the public key of the further intended recipient to the further intended recipient. receiving, by the second application, a further intended recipient of the decrypted media file; encrypting, by the second application, the media file encryption key using a public key of the further intended recipient; attaching the media file encryption key encrypted using the public key of the further intended recipient to the encrypted media file; and transmitting, by the second application, the encrypted media file with the attached media file encryption key encrypted using the public key of the further intended recipient to the further intended recipient.