Beware the consequences of sharing pictures of other people
The Information Regulator of South Africa has recently reminded the public that photographs clearly identifying an individual are regarded as personal information.
This is in terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act which became enforceable in early July this year.
The changes to the law mean that the distribution of images of people is regarded as processing of personal information in terms of the act.
The act prohibits the distribution of personal information, including images of people, without their consent. What does this mean, though, practically?
Candice le Sueur Fisher, a Cape Town-based privacy and ethics consultant, describes for Parent24 how this has implications for families and school employees who may be tempted to share photos of each other, and of children.
Privacy is a human right : PoPIA and your school s obligations to protect your information news24.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from news24.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Locked down your social media? It s an illusion of control warns privacy expert I posted pics of going back to school on Instagram, my IG is very small and limited to close friends and family only. Much of social media is also how you control your account with settings and who you accept as friends, wrote a Cape Town based father of two recently, in response to our warning to avoid posting pics of your kids on social media.
This sentiment is common among parents, and many of us believe that as long as our social profiles are properly managed and our privacy settings are locked down, our families will be safe from online predators.
Tempted to post those first day of school photos on social media? Don t do it I vividly remember the moment, on my first day of school, when my dad let me stand in front of the school’s coat of arms, switched on his film camera, and clicked a photo, mom Candice le Sueur Fisher tells me. It was a proud moment. I was holding my brown cardboard suitcase… I still have that photo, she says.
Many of us have similar photos, and just this month I also took those same snaps of my kids as they started the first day of their various classes this year.