I am astounded by the number of mommy blogs I visit that display pictures of young, adorable children for all the world to see. So much so that I did a little research on the safety of sharing children’s photographs online.
In one article I found a mother’s account of being contacted by the police to report a picture of her young daughter was found on a computer containing explicit images of children. In another, a snapshot from a family vacation that a mom posted to her blog wound up as a billboard advertisement in a foreign country.
Did you know that if you take a picture with a camera that has GPS capability and post it online, anyone with a little computer savvy can locate the exact spot where the photo was taken? On your front lawn. At your child’s school or your local playground.
To learn more about the risks and ways to protect your online images, I suggest you follow this link to an article titled Is it Safe to Post Photos Online? By: Kimberly Palmer.
Then please come back and click on the number beneath the title of this post to answer these two questions:
1) Do you post pictures of your children online?
2) Are you going to continue to do so?
There are no pictures online of my daughter at all and she is 8. As a freelance writer with connections with tons of people I have never met in person, I have not felt comfortable posting photos of her anywhere. It makes me seem a bit odd and I will let her when she gets older if she chooses to. In the meantime, I keep her pictures with me and private.
1) No, but only because I didn’t know how.
2) Now I certainly won’t!
Thanks, Wendy! I had NO idea the pictures fromcameras w/ GPS capability could be traced. Truely scary!!!
Hi Christina! And welcome to 4badmommies!
I have some pictures of my children posted to my personal Facebook page where I only accept friend requests from people I know. I never post pictures of my children to any of the blogs I participate in.
I just think since I don’t understand all of the technology out there, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Aimee!
Very funny!
I learned about the ability to track pictures taken by cameras with GPS capability a while ago and did a post about it on my old blog. I thought it was time to mention it again!
That being said, I have no idea what type of cameras have GPS capability. I’m guessing smart phones. Maybe Jen will know!!! (I’m not sure if my cell phone can take pictures or not…but I’ll have to look into my childrens’ phones!)
My blog began as a way of keeping family and friends involved with the expat adventures of our family. So, yes I post pictures. I have read the articles, and respect the warnings. I have followed the privacy setting advice for my cameras, Facebook, etc. But the watermark idea is definitely a good tip. I will get this taken care of asap!
Thanks for the post and the tip!
Kimberly
I post pictures on my FB profile but not on my blog. Im not confident that there’s a difference. This is a great article!
I’ve always worried about posting my children’s picture, so I stick to facebook where I know all the people. I do have a photo up on my blog but I felt safe because my children’s faces are entirely hidden. Now, I have to re-think this – lol! A very informative article. AT this point, there are so many blogs sharing personal photos I wonder if we are in the minority? As for knowing about the GPS, well, I am honored you would even think I would know! But I don’t! Still, with all the mobile uploads now I would think it’s pretty easy to track down where the phone was at the time for those computer savvy people out there. Thanks for sharing and giving us something to think about!
Hi Kelly!
I’m no expert, but I think the difference is that on Facebook, you have control over who sees your pictures as opposed to blogs, where anyone can view them. But on Facebook you must make sure to check your security settings to friends only. Otherwise friends of friends who you do not know can access your pictures. I think there’s a way to see who has viewed your pictures, but I’m not sure how to do it.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Jen!
It’s very scary to think someone can pinpoint your location from a simple picture. As an author/blogger, I’ve made the conscious decision to put myself in the public eye. My family has not. And while I’ll chat about my motherhood experiences, I think it’s important to keep my childrens photos private.
Granted, my children are older and are very aware of the Internet and prefer that people don’t know we’re related! But as far as young children, the Internet has a long memory. When they grow up, how do you think they’ll feel about their pictures being shared on blogs? I guess it will depend on the pictures and how they’re used. I think the picture of you and the boys in the chair is perfect!
I don’t post photos of my son, I used to do so on FB but I removed them all. I really don’t post photos of myself either. Honestly, I just wanted to keep things private. It is sad that people misuse photos and other information found online…….
Thanks for the information. The gps technology is not a surprise to me, but I had not considered that. Interesting and scary.
Oh no this is sad. I just posted photos of my kids on my blog for the firs time yesterday. I have been debating whether to do it or not but I wanted people to see the loves of my life. Now I will be taking them down it’s a shame people can’t open up to others without fear of pictures being used for other purposes.
Hi Optimistic Mom!
I’d never considered that a personal photo could wind up on a billboard in a foreign country. As an author, I need to have a visual presence online. As a mother, I think it’s my job to do the best I can to protect my children from anything I feel is a threat to their safety.
Tonight I will explore the security settings on their Facebook pages!
Hi Kita! And welcome to 4badmommies!
I’m sorry to be the one to put the kibosh on you sharing your photos on your blog. I certainly understand you wanting to share the loves of your life. Maybe you can do it in a way they aren’t recognizable.
Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve always made it a point not to post pics online where my children where identifiable, but I had no idea about the GPS tracking thing. That’s scary!
Hi Regina!
The GPS thing IS scary. Technology is wonderful, but it definitely has a down side.
I do post pics online but nothing that could be considered provocative or any personal information. People can see my family anytime they want to anyway, we model the clothes for the family clothing business on a website and catalog. In my opinion, it’s more usually someone in the neighborhood or someone at the mall you have to worry about kidnapping your kid. Or with an older kid, someone they are talking to online who is pretending to be their age. (That’s why my daughter will not be allowed online unsupervised for many years.) If out of all the children online someone DOES target my child… They will have to get past security at her preschool (you have to put your hand through the finger print sensor to get in or they have you removed). Or at home, they’d have to deal with my Pit Bull and German Shepherd. Plus I take martial arts and my husband weight lifts and has a tazer. So I feel pretty safe, though I know no one is invincible of course. I really have to either take my chances or hire models for my business which I have no money to do lol.
Hi Camille! And welcome to 4badmommies!
Modeling clothes for the family business sounds very interesting! You seem to have your bases covered as far as keeping your children safe. (I’ve never heard of a finger print sensor at a school.)
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi! I do post pictures of my kids online. People are much too paranoid IMO. Here’s the thing: google your kids name. I can almost guarantee you that unless your kid has never left your house, both their names and pictures are already out there. Hockey/soccer/sports associations list players and teams and schedules. So if someone wants to find out where your kid is going to be, they don’t even need a picture! Organizations like Girl Guides or Boy Scouts, even schools, both have names and pictures listed. Right now we live in a digital world, and everybody, including kids, have a digital footprint. The solution to this problem isn’t hiding our kids, it’s teaching them how to live in a digital world. And anybody who has kids pictures on Facebook, please be aware that no matter how high your privacy settings are, there are ways around it.