To not share the photos online?

[MonkeyPJs]

I am genuinely interested in if I am being unreasonable here as have no idea!

I was on the committee for the work Christmas Party, which involved booking a photo booth that prints out two strips of photos at the time to give to the people in the pics, then goes blank before the next photo.

The week after the party, the booth company sent me a password-controlled link with all of the photos that had been taken inside the booth. Maybe I am behind the times I totally am but I had no idea that the booth 'kept' all of the photos. Looking through the photos I also had the distinct impression that some of other people thought the same as I suspect some of the pics wouldn't have been posed as they were had the individuals known a colleague would one day see them. Nothing seedy, just - for example - couples kissing each other. I decided that out of respect for colleagues no-one else should see the pics, and forgot about it.

Now, though, much younger colleagues who are wiser in the way of photo booths (apparently everyone uses them at uni events, I'm told) want the link to the pics - which they knew would be generated as apparently looking at all of the photos afterward is the fun part - to put on the work intranet.

I don't want to do this though, and still feel that the photos shouldn't be shared like this without the permission of the people in them. I'm not usually a prude about privacy, but to me it doesn't seem right to share them in such a manner. Not only the smoochy photos, but all of them - in a highly professional workplace it feels like sharing that sort of thing in the cold light of day feels like being a bit of a bad sport.

AIBU?

My work always sends the password out in the new year - if you are at a work function the general consensus is that the photos would be suitable to be viewed by anyone.

I thought everyone knew that the photo booths have a digital copy? If you look on their website it should also say? I think most people wouldn't be shocked to find out there is a digital copy, and looking through them is part of the fun.

Are those that knew there would be a digital copy of the photo young?

I must admit I didn't know they stored photos. Is that a relatively new thing or have they been keeping (printed) copies since the Seventies? - cringe!

YANBU. I wouldn't have known that the booth kept the photos, either, and I don't like the idea of posting photos of anyone online without their consent. From the mixed responses on this thread it's likely that at least some of your colleagues weren't aware that the photos could be shared, either. I like the idea someone suggested of using a data protection excuse!

don't use a data protection excuse it makes you look like a stupid busy body who doesn't know what they are talking about.

Send out the email asking for permission, "as not everyone knew the photos would be published"

cranberry says

"My work always sends the password out in the new year - if you are at a work function the general consensus is that the photos would be suitable to be viewed by anyone.

I thought everyone knew that the photo booths have a digital copy? If you look on their website it should also say? I think most people wouldn't be shocked to find out there is a digital copy, and looking through them is part of the fun."

I guess if everyone knows in advance the password will be sent out that regulates behaviour in the booth.

But come on - have work Christmas parties changed so much since my days of working in an office? There were always indiscretions at the Christmas party of the large company I worked for, admittedly it was back in the mists of time before moving out of an office environment ... Christmas parties were off site and there was a lot of alcohol flowing - starting with a generous amount of free wine out on the tables and moving on to the bar... Luckily it was before the advent of digital cameras and social media... have things changed totally now?

Is the digital age actually tamer because everyone knows big brother is watching and everything is recorded and shared digitally in the cold light of day the next morning or weeks later?

I'm not saying its a bad thing - people should behave at work Christmas parties... but they don't always, and maybe sharing photos which may include somebody kissing somebody they shouldn't have been in what they thought was a stolen couple of seconds of relative privacy isn't the place of a colleague or committee of colleagues...

I like the idea of saying that some of the photos are not suitable to be shared. The gossip will go on for weeks.