2023-11-12 06:48:36
Can the school or childcare center take and publish photos of your child? That can be a dilemma, especially if many other parents give permission for this. Our view of children’s privacy is changing, says an expert.
Most schools and childcare organizations ask parents to complete a consent form. On that document you can indicate whether, for example, photos of your child may be taken. Various schools and organizations even give you the choice of whether and for what purposes those photos may be used.
If you do not give permission and your child is visible in a photo of, for example, a sports day, your child will be made unrecognizable. This can be solved, for example, by sticking a smiley over your child’s face.
It can make parents feel uncomfortable if their child is unrecognizable in a photo, while many other children are recognisable. This is recognized by assistant professor of law and technology Sarah Eskens of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. This can make you feel like you are a difficult parent or that you have made the wrong choice.
There are many people who don’t want their photos wandering around the internet, explains Associate Professor Jaap-Henk Hoepman of Radboud University. According to him, this is right: “For example, there are companies that take photos from the internet to build a facial recognition system.”
Do not give blanket consent
A general permission to take and publish photos is not enough, Eskens emphasizes. The more specific the questions on the form are, the better. “If general consent is requested, it is better not to give it.”
As far as she is concerned, schools and childcare organizations must provide choices. That is often done. For example, you can choose to allow a photo to be taken to share with the parents, but not for publication on the website or social media.
“I have no problems with a class photo,” says Hoepman. “I’m also fine with a daycare center taking a photo to share only with me. But I wouldn’t feel comfortable with those photos appearing on social media or a website.”
Ask about security
“Schools and childcare organizations have to store a lot of personal data, and that is why security is very important,” says Eskens. “Remember that in the event of a hack, everything will be exposed.”
The university lecturer therefore advises parents to ask how security is arranged. For example, is the app used safe? According to Eskens, the security problems at the Land Registry clearly show what the risks are. “You didn’t even have to be a hacker to get in there.”
You belong to the vanguard
“I want to encourage parents who have an unpleasant feeling because they do not want to give permission,” says Eskens. “The situation is changing and I see parents being more and more careful about their children’s online visibility.”
According to Eskens, the parents who currently do not give permission for photos to be published are among the ‘vanguard’. “Because when we look back at this moment in ten years’ time, we will probably find it very strange that our children were so visible online in 2023.”
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