7 months old. I have nothing to hide.
An article on NYTimes.com started with this provocative question:
Is sharing videos and pictures a violation of a child’s right to privacy, or a simple act to remain connected to friends and family?
My first reaction: are you KIDDING me?
Violating a children’s right to privacy by showing a picture of them? Huh?
Yes, I was a pig farmer, however briefly. I have nothing to hide.
One of the opinion pieces was by a futurist named Amy Webb, and she makes the case. She envisions a day when facial recognition will be much more advanced. It’ll be our master password, she believes. And … it will be able to project facial growth from a child, and deliver childhood images of adults when you search for the adult.
How do you feel about those cute naked baby pictures you posted now?
So, if Ms. Webb’s theory is correct … it doesn’t matter if you tag the photo, or ID the photo … the photo itself is all that’s necessary to associate that image with the future image of you or your loved one.
I got another reminder that everything on the ‘net is public this week. Come to find out, my mother is being interviewed for an upcoming article in the local newspaper on the history of our hometown, Graham, MO. The author searched for a photo of Mom … and found it on this blog.
This blog.
When I was compiling the genealogy photo scrapbooks for the family a few years ago, I had one Aunt declare “I don’t want my photo on the internet.” I assured her that I wasn’t putting her photo on the ‘net, and I didn’t.
Apparently, her caution was well founded.
After I was unsuccessful raising pigs, I moved into the cattle business. Here I am with Hessie and Bessie … before I failed in that business as well. I’ve avoided the livestock business since then. I have nothing to hide.
I decided early on that I wouldn’t post pictures of my kiddos on my blog, not necessarily over concerns of future privacy issues (thanks for freaking me out about that), but I guess because I just felt that this was my thing in basically a public forum (because, of course, I assumed that huge crowds of people would read it…HA!) and if they didn’t want to be associated with it, I didn’t want them to have to be. I still write about them, though, so I guess that argument doesn’t really hold up. Oh, well, I’ll go with that future facial recognition thing, then.
I have published photos, but always of the school picture/family memories variety. I don’t *think* they are embarrassing, but I guess time will tell. I know that my family as well as the readers I don’t know enjoy the photos in my blog. My final stand, I guess, is my defiant “I have nothing to hide.” I believe that, and so it’s hard for me to imagine why publishing my family’s photos is a bad thing … even when they show up on a google search.