Category: Let's talk
I've recently come back from holiday, and while staying in the resort we were constantly harrassed by photographers wanting to take pictures of me, and of other women I was with, and of young children. The ultimate goal is of course to take the pictures, then to sell them back to you at vast cost.
But something about this struck me:
Years ago, a photographer would take a picture of you, would take pictures until his roll of film had run out and would then have the film developed.
Now a photographer takes a picture on his digital camera, uploads it to his computer, and once he's sold you your vastly overpriced copy can essentially do with the digital image as he pleases. And there is no way of knowing what happens to those images.
On a parenting website I frequent a woman joined claiming to run a modelling agency, she befriended many of the other parents, obtained pictures of their children to post on her website. It later transpired that she was suspected of using these images to send to paedophiles who doctor them by putting the face of one child on to the body of another that is being abused in order to make the victims less identifyable. She fled to brazille and the police weren't able to gather enough evidence, but the suspicion was there.
But even if you take out the sinister element of digital photography, I'm not unduely happy with the idea that anyone could post pictures of me on the internet should they so choose, without my consent.
After all once you post a picture you have no control over where it goes.
And this is why I only post my picture if I don't care where it goes. Resorts always like to do things like that; take your picture, and then try to sell it back to you. I don't let anybody I don't know take my picture unless I know that the situation could involve cameras without consent, such as school performances, ETC.
Agreed! The saddest part os that this can even ruin friendships. A friend of mine has three little girls, and a mutual "friend" or ours went and had pictures of herself taken with my friend's daughter. She posted these on facebook, and when my friend confronted her about it ("can you please not post pics of my daughter without my permission?") this other girl went nuts. Like, really?
This goes for all internet communication. If you send an email to a friend in which you say something that if taken out of context could offend others or damage your reputation, you have no control over what then happens to that info. Also, if you post to any website that anybody can view, you have no control over who can read what you've written.
So if somebody posts about their parents and their parents know about their online identity, what they post could be discovered and lead to more friction.
It's difficult not to get your picture taken even if you can see. People take pictures all the time in public places. If you want a picture of say facebook the site will remove it if your friends will not. The age of digital, is life I suppose.
you know, this doesn't just happen on the internet.
A couple of years ago, I was approached by someone who wanted to take my picture while performing. It was for an article about sydney's buskers, and I was happy to do it as long as it was sent to me etc. However the guy told me that he had seen my picture before in a book about sydney, and sure enough he was right. My picture appears in a book on sydney. I'm busking in sydney, and while it's not a close up, it's distinguishable as me.
I don't so much mind what my friends do with my pictures. they can post them if they want to, because I post mine on the net all the time, but I do have an issue with people taking my picture and using it without telling me.
The intentions of some people, although seemingly okay, aren't always to be trusted.