Child Protection over Friends Only Facebook Pics

[HarrietSchulenberg]

At the nursery Christmas play parents were asked not to put photos on the internet in order to respect the privacy of other parents and children. I take internet security VERY seriously due to my paid work and that of my H, which requires absolute confidentiality. I am also a School Governor.

I put some pictures of my son on Facebook. My photos and profile are accessible only to my Friends, which comprise of a very small group of personal friends and family. The photos did not contain any reference to the school, the children (other than my son's first name), year group or other identifiable information. I never tag photos.

I received a phone call from the Child Protection officer from the School today. My photos had come to their attention and I was formally reminded of the need for internet security.

Through a process of elimination of my Facebook Friends (wasn't hard) I have worked out who is responsible. I am very hurt and surprised that this person has put me in this position, seeing as her own internet security is, at best, lax.

Have I been very stupid, or AIBU to think that I have not breached any child protection measures? I could just have well have printed the pics and shown them round at the school gates.

If someone posted the pics of my children on the [boak] FB I would bite their head off.
Because I don't want the photos of my family on there.
The school explicitly asked you not to post the pictures on internet. As a school governer, one presumes you did understand the request?
YABVU.

Yabu

Altinkum-I am curious as to exactly how a school can "protect" only the vunerable children as you put it.

Do you expect a head to stand at the front of school and announce to the parents please feel free to take photos/videos but make sure that you do not film X and Y as they are on the child protection list!!!!!
If you allow the taking of photos then you cannot control the editing of those photos.
Sorry to sound pedantic.
What my dds school say is it is ok to take photos for PERSONAL use.
Personal use does not in any form involve publishing said pictures on to the world wide web. Once the pictures are on facebook then I am sorry, but NO amount of facebook security is good enough to stop the possible sharing of such images.
Btw as a parent I have a right to object to the taking of photographs at my dds play. I don't but only on the understanding that all photos are for personal use only. Putting photos on facebook breaches this agreemant.

Altinkum, if your school allows photography how can the school ensure that pictures of your nieces aren't published on the internet by other parents?

I know you say it isn't rocket science, so it must be still a bit early for me, sorry

Oops, x posts. So I guess you can't take a picture of a class performance then?

Our school asks for parental consent with regards to school pictures. I'm assuming that without consent, your child wouldn't be shown in any school publication, internet or otherwise.

Ages ago at a school I used to work at we taught a girl who had been involved in a very public court case (you'd know it if I mentioned it), though this wasn't common knowledge, certainly to the parents and even to most of the teachers/staff/governors.

Absolutely NO PHOTOS could be taken of this girl, in case it got out who she was/where she was.

I know the OP says that only her friends could see the pics but that isn't secure enough in some circumstances.

If you are asked not to put them on, then they shouldn't go on at all. Otherwise all that will happen is that the school will do what some others do and ban cameras and only allow a school photographer and then charge for a few rubbish snaps.

I think the difference between the school taking photos and issuing them and parents taking them and putting them on facebook is that the school has to abide by the Data Protection Act as they are for official use, of course parents don't. (There was a Radio 4 programme on this the other day). Like previous posters, need to know if other children were on the photos.

Parents taking school photographs aren't bound by the Data Protection Act if the pictures are for personal use. As a school governor I've been asked to look at other policies with a view to updating our own, and every substantial one I've looked at so far suggests that posting pictures online without express permission could mean that the parent who does this contravenes the Data Protection Act(frustratingly grey area!). Surely it's obvious that the internet is not a private storage space?

OK so how about if I'd emailed the photos to my friend?

I think the school is being unreasonable wrt photos. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I think it's hardly a child protection issue if a few harmless nativity photos are up on the internet... what about schools that post such photos on their own school websites then? Are they being totally reckless and out of line? [hmmm]

OP, it would probably have been "safer" to follow their instructions especially considering you're a governor, but I sympathise with you and don't think you've done anything wrong.

"Rules for newspapers publishing photos, they have to have permission from every parent of a child in the photo."

My Dcs have been pictured in the local paper several times through organised school events, I have never been asked for permission.

""Maybe I'm old fashioned but I think it's hardly a child protection issue if a few harmless nativity photos are up on the internet... what about schools that post such photos on their own school websites then? Are they being totally reckless and out of line? [hmmm]""

Sorry I posted too soon!, Most schools ask parents to sign a form autorising the children to appear on school website at the beginning of the school year. I am pretty sure they would not put the picture of a child whose parents have refused.

Putting them on Facebook was wrong. You have literally given the legal ownership of those photos to Facebook, and they can use them in whatever they like.

Gorionine, I have had pictures put on school websites and newspaper etc and no-one has asked my permission.

Didn't really find it a big deal though.

Anyway, I accept that it might be different elsewhere.

just curios. Know the Op was requested not to post them but what does everyone else do? I have several albums on FB of my kids (sometimes with friends) only available to friends only. Many of my friends do the same and no-ones seems to ask permission. What do posters here do?

Yes, some other children were in the photos but as I said in my original post, there was absolutely nothing to identify the school, names of children or even location (my home town isn't stated). I have not disregarded anyone's safety and I did not contravene the Data Protection Act.

There are no children in Nursery who cannot be photographed. If there were we would be asked not to take ANY photographs.

I am completely approachable and I've been led to believe that this came about as my Friend was gossiping in the school office - she was trying to get her own photos on FB at the time. She was complaining about the ban and used me as an example.

Amazing how these things snowball.

All my albums are set to friends only. I only put photos of the children whose parents I have permission to do so, so at ds1's party I took photos but only put on photos of the children of my friends. I signed a form when ds1 started school giving permission for photos to be taken. I do think it is a shame that we were not allowed to take photos at ds1's Nativity, which is why in some ways that the OP should be greatfull she has been able to do so and abide by the conditions set.

I do not put pictures of my Dcs on FB, or of myself for that matter. Not scared as such but I would feel controle would escape me of what will happen to them IYSWIM.

I think the issue her is that as a school governor, OP has been expressly asked not to post pictures of the dcs on FB and she did it anyway, got cought and got told off.

Op. I might have missed that bit so sorry to ask again but how did it get to the attention of the child protection officer? did someone "blab" on you?

as well, surely if you know that some of your friends security settings are a bit lax surely that is a good enough readson not to post the pictures in the first place?

school asked you not to put photos on the internet but you did anyway. YABU

YABU because there are now photos of other peoples children on the internet after you were specifically asked not to post them.