June 16th, 2009
This story out of ExtraordinaryMommy.com reminds us that anything posted online could be seen, taken, copied, or shared. But how about printed on storefront windows?
The author of the blog recounts how an image of her family, posted to her website and a few other locations, was spotted half-way around the world, printed life size on a Czech store window. The image had two perks for the image-snatchers - it was an exceptionally high-resolution, and the family could have been models.
The extreme rarity of this kind of privacy invasion makes one wonder if there is any point in defending against this. Posting images of low-resolution, for example, was one defense the blog author mentioned. But then again, perhaps she is right. The only reason she found out about it was sheer chance. Perhaps this kind of thing goes on a lot more often than we know. Perhaps my face graces a Hungarian cereal box, or yours a Namibian dish detergent.
The main issue here is that nothing posted openly online is ever really private. Children and parents alike must know this, to prevent not only personal information from being shared, but even public photos being used without permission.
Use discretion always when sharing personal information or images. For children, try PGsurfer to restrict just when and how they can post their faces and stories online. We all want to see our kids on a Wheaties box, but not this way.