French Government Tells Parents to Stop Posting Photos of Their Kid Online Because It's an Invasion of Privacy
Daily Mail — Parents who upload pictures of their children on social media could be sued by their sons or daughters under France’s privacy laws. Mothers and fathers face a year in prison and a fine of £35,000 if they are convicted of publicising details of their children’s private lives without their permission. Experts claim French children could sue their parents for posting pictures of them on websites such as Twitter and Facebook. ‘In a few years, children could easily take their parents to court for publishing photos of them when they were younger,’ Eric Delcroix, an expert on internet law and ethics, told Le Figaro newspaper. ‘Children at certain stages do not wish to be photographed or still less for those photos to be made public.’ And adults who sue their parents for breaching their right to privacy when they were children could receive compensation, experts say.
In February, the French Gendarmerie – concerned about the security of children – posted a message on Facebook, which read: ‘Please stop posting pictures of your kids on Facebook.’ ‘Remember that posting pictures of your children on Facebook is not safe,’ it added, according to The Local. ‘It is important to protect the privacy of minors and their images on social networking sites.’
What’s the world coming to? You can’t beat your kids anymore and now you can’t post dumb photos of them online either? Don’t get me wrong. I’m sick of my Facebook timeline being blown up with endless baby photos of babies that all look the exactly the same to me (note to self: make more black friends), but that’s parental privilege right? In the old days your mom used to bust out the photo album when family friends came over. She’d show them pictures of your wonky teeth before braces. You’d bring home a girl and she busts out those super flattering bathtime photos from when you were a toddler. Same thing here, except now it’s your mom’s 5000 Facebook friends. Them’s the breaks. You hope your parents don’t embarrass you, but you certainly don’t sue them for it. You pooped on them. They get to embarrass you for your entire life. I honestly don’t even understand the core concept here. Do you have to blur out the kids’ faces in family photos? Are all pictures of your children supposed to be in hard copy photo albums until everyone hits age 18 and signs a consent form to post it online? No one should have to do that kind of paperwork on their 18th birthday unless they’re on a casting couch. Grow up France. Your country has a history of being run by tiny tyrants and this isn’t helping the look.
P.S. I think this kid’s got a solid case. Defamation of bowels at that age can really scar you
