School’s solicit parents’ permission to post photos of children on the internet all the time. Just recently students were suspended from a school for posting photos of students and teachers on MySpace without students and teachers permission. Because the students did not have parental permission, it could pose a liability issue.
My opinion is that parents should have the right to say if they do or do not want their children’s photos posted on the internet. I, as a parent, do not post any photos of my children on the internet and I certainly do not give permission for my children’s photos to be posted on the internet.
According to an article I read written by a copyright attorney it said “You may need permission to photograph people due to state laws giving individuals privacy and publicity rights.”
“Commercial photographers avoid right of publicity/privacy lawsuits by obtaining photographic releases from people shown in their pictures.”
Professional photographers obtain permission from their models. Why? Because people have the right not to have their photos posted on the internet.
Last year my daughters photo turned up on a website. The student who posted the photo of her class mates did not have permission. Many of the parents including myself and my husband were upset. As I stated, I do not post my children’s photos on the net and I do not believe anyone should have the right to without my permission.
What are your thoughts about photos being published online without ones knowledge or permission.
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15 responses so far ↓
Jose
// Apr 27, 2007 at 5:08 pm
I used to freak out about things like this but when it comes to the internet I think it’s a monster that will be hard to beat. My Space is full of photographs that kids will post without parents concent. I really don’t think we can even monitor that because in some cases they don’t even show us what they post. I don’t think there’s any danger but parents like you that don’t approve of this practice will continue to get upset and unless you are ready to fight I don’t see change in the near future.
Hammer
// Apr 27, 2007 at 5:22 pm
My kid’s school hounds me with permission slips to put my kid’s pictures and personal information on public websites.
I draw a” hell no” box and check it off.
My kids are adopted from drug addicts and felons who lost their parental rights involuntarily.
I don’t want any surprises waiting for my kids at school.
Even people that post their kids pics on their blogs are engaging in risky behavior because google provides a free link that tracks your IP address to an instant roadmap to your house.
Am I just paranoid?
Peri
// Apr 27, 2007 at 9:21 pm
I have posted pics of my daughter and my flickr account is open. I’ve been re-thinking that situation lately but haven’t come to a definite conclusion yet. I suspect I will end up taking them down but my reason will be that J’s classmates are computer savvy enough to connect “Peri’s Wrinkle” with “J’s Mom” and use what I’ve written or pics I’ve posted against her.
J is the centre of my universe and so much of what I write is about her in one way or another. I’m very uneasy about the idea that something I’ve done could be turned against her.
The pics are still up. Maybe they’ll come down tonight. I just don’t know.
Rose DesRochers
// Apr 27, 2007 at 10:29 pm
Jose, parents like me? Excuse Me? First of all, the child who posted my daughter’s photo on the internet crossed a line. She did not ask my daughter’s permission or did she ours. Her blog also contained private information putting my daughter and other children in danger and my husband and I did put up a fight, which resulted in the photos being removed from her blog. As the parents, we had the right to request the photos to be taken down.
Rose DesRochers
// Apr 27, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Hello Peri, this is totally a different issue, because you are the parent posting your own daughter’s photos. There is a discussion on the Flickr boards regarding the danger of posting photos of children online that you may want to check out. It can be read at danger of posting photos of children online?
Peri
// Apr 27, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Yeah, you’re right - I didn’t address your issue. Your post just happened to come along at the same time I was pondering my choices.
Posting a pic without permission? Totally not cool. If you find out about it, you can probably get it taken down. Pics on the internet, though…just too hard to find and track. So many family and friends share pics now because it’s so easy. My paternal family has a website that is a members only thing but I have no delusions that anyone who was even a little determined and somewhat computer savvy could be stopped by that.
Unless you pull a ‘Michael Jackson’ and put a bag over your kids’ head, someone is going to get a picture sooner or later. And post it. My kid has a birthday party and I take and share pics. Your kid is in the background. I only sent the pics to friends…but then what happened to them? I’ve never even thought about obtaining parental permission to photograph my daughter’s birthday party until just this minute. I did post a pic on my blog of her last party. There are 4 other girls in that pic.
Oh, jeez. I’m a bad bad person. This is NOT cool.
Rose DesRochers
// Apr 27, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Hammer, you have a very good reason for not wanting your children’s photos to be posted online.
Rose DesRochers
// Apr 27, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Peri, I don’t think you are a bad person. It is just something that many people don’t think about.
Peri
// Apr 28, 2007 at 1:37 am
This is what got me to thinking.
I don’t make any money from my site, no matter if I post about being a single mom to a tween or being a loon or whatever. It’s not that I haven’t tried but somehow the people with money don’t think my 8 readers qualify as a ‘market’.
Everything else she says is right on the money.
Rose DesRochers
// Apr 28, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Wow, Peri you are right. The post really makes one think and shows how easily a photo can be edited. I do think what this blogger did was cruel though.
sarala
// May 2, 2007 at 9:12 am
I think some of the detail about the legalistics of photography may not be entirely accurate. You don’t necessarily need a consent to take someone’s picture for a non-commercial purpose. Hypothetically, if I’m in downtown Chicago and a tourist walks in front of my camera and I post that picture, I don’t think there is a legal problem unless I sell the picture commercially. My feeble knowledge of the laws, which vary of course, is that I am within my rights even if I sell the photo as “art photography”. The issues both legal and ethical are thornier where kids are involved and model releases are probably still a good idea. And schools probably have an entirely different set of issues than a private individual. I doubt it is illegal to post pics from a birthday party on a public blog. You just have to be sensitive to the wishes of the other parents.
I too avoid posting pictures of my kids publicly.
Marcia
// May 3, 2007 at 5:16 pm
I read recently that in certain public situations, you would expect to be photographed and the resulting photos could be posted without permission. Our son is 29, but I say little about him or my niece, a teenager, nor post photos — not because I don’t want to, but because I am trying to respect their privacy and haven’t got time or inclination to ask them if they care. My husband, however is fair game, as is making a fool of myself if I choose, but that is an agreement we made early on. But I have not posted any photos yet other than one of him. He didn’t want the shots I took of him bending over on line. (Imagine that.)
But really, I would not put current photos of my young child on line nor even tell stories no matter how much I wanted to - embarrassment of a child is an ugly thing and so is stalking. Rose, I’m right there with you on protecting your children.
And those parents thinking other people haven’t seen them are dreaming. . . Kids talk about their parents, all it would take is someone mentioning his mother blogged - a simple search with a subject, like the football game, they are discovered.
cj
// May 23, 2008 at 10:01 am
i have a question. do you where i can find a law reguarding pics on internet without permission. my sis inlaw has put some of my underage daughter and will take it off but she keeps putting them on and it has to stop. help me!
maria
// Jul 30, 2008 at 11:33 am
Hi I just foind out that an ex boyfriend has posted a a picture of me without my consent. How can I fight it to be removed? Can i file a lawsuit against him for invading my privacy and exposing my picture to the public?
sassy
// Oct 2, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I need help I tried contacting authorities but someone posted pics of my 4 yr old online without my consent. My local police dept. said well if they are not nude then there is really nothing that can be done. Is this true? I am really ready to just keep contacting the dept. and demanding until they have the person remove them.
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