Sharing photos of your giggling, drooling, bundle of baby joy to Facebook is a right every parent has, but that could be changing soon in France, thanks to rigid privacy laws which make it illegal to post photos of a person without their permission.
We assume these clauses are in place to protect social media users from revenge porn, not from embarrassing potty training pics, like so, but nevertheless, it is technically within a child’s right to sue his or her parents for any untoward posts.
Parents can face fines of up to R600 000 and a year in prison, the Daily Mail reports.
“In a few years, children could easily take their parents to court for publishing photos of them when they were younger,” Eric Delcroix, who specialises in 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.”
The French armed forces shared a message on their own Facebook page, urging parents to be careful, writing, “Remember that posting pictures of your children on Facebook is not safe,” according to The Local. “It is important to protect the privacy of minors and their images on social networking sites.”
Of course we agree with the messaging here. Parents should take precaution to ensure that their kids’ photos don’t end up in the wrong hands, or get turned into a cruel meme, but if you want to post a funny snap that will undoubtedly come back to humiliate your daughter on her wedding night, then by all means, live your best, unfiltered life. But, if you’re in France, just make sure you get her a handsome gift so she doesn’t slap you with a huge fine for your social indiscretion.
Photo: iStock/Liderina
From: Good Housekeeping US
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