For all of us, the true satisfaction from any event is derived when we share the anecdotes and pictures with friends and families. Whether it be a foreign trip, a wedding, a family get together or a friends’ reunion, we post these pics on our social networking sites like Facebook or Google+ so that others can see and comment on them. This definitely adds to our happiness quotient. Till this point, online photo sharing has been great and keeps ties in tact.
But issues arise when all and sundry get to view the pictures. You may not want mere acquaintances to see your cosy family pics or your boss to see your embarrassing college pics or your school friends to see your silly baby pics. This you can prevent by customising your settings to allow only select people to view photos. But what you can’t do is to prevent people from downloading your pics and storing them for future use in any way they see fit.
I don’t want to create panic but there are threats attached to the very common practice of sharing pics online. Here are some of them:
-Some people love to download pics of strangers and/or friends to use later for some unsavoury purpose, like creating false ids
-Jilted lovers and ex-friends sometimes morph photos to avenge their hurt
-Some unscrupulous firms use photos for product promotion without permission
-Cyber bullies and other aggressive friends might use embarrassing pics to ridicule the child in public
And then I discovered Picasa; a simple tool that allows you to store and share photos with only those you want. So you can share the link to your family vacation album with only a chosen few you can trust. That way, you can be sure your kids are safe online. Of course, the caveat is that you need to have a Google account.
You can find out how to download and use Picasa here.
There are many other photo-sharing sites, like Snapfish, Kodak Easy Share and AOL that allow you to share photos safely. However, it is recommended that you read the terms and conditions and safety features before opting for the one you prefer. I also chanced upon a site that shares information on how to digitally watermark your page to protect your copyright over them.
There are also some rules that parents must adhere to if they want the kids to be safe on Facebook. For exaple, if kids are prohibited from posting their pics online, parents should also not post the same on their personal sites. Further, it is recommended that you do not post any snap of your children taken at a swimming pool or seaside. You should also refrain from publicly posting your own pics that flout social norms, like smoking and drinking in a gang or riding bikes without helmets; or breach civil laws, like posing in places where it is forbidden to click pictures.
Such simple precautions can make your photo-sharing experience a safe and joyous one. If you know of any other safe ways of sharing pics, do share it with me.
Till then stay safe online everyone!
By: Anindita Mishra
