Why should photographs submitted to diversify visa lottery be as recent as six months?

Question

and if the photograph is more than six months what device can be used to detect this

Answer 1

They want a recent photo. If there wasn't a time frame a 50 yo could send in a photo of when s/he was 27 because they looked better then! There is no real way to detect the difference but if you did something like the above it would certainly raise questions and possibly a rejection. The photo should match the data.

Answer 2

The applicant's photograph must be an accurate depiction of how he/she looks today.  When the applicant appears in person, if the applicant's photograph is not accurate, there will be unnecessary delays in the visa processing.  If any kind of fraud is involved, the visa will be denied and the applicant could be barred from the US for life.

Answer 3

Why should they be as recent as six months?

Because they're asking you to submit pictures as recent as six months. It's usually best to do exactly as they say to avoid any trouble.

But of course, in this case, they have no real way of verifying how old the picture is. What they need is a current picture of you, i.e. something that looks like what you look like now, recent enough that the difference between when it was taken and now is indistinguishable.

If you received a big scar on your face, then you'll want your picture to reflect that.