The security risks of posting your child's photos online
A few years ago a friend of mine was on a beach holiday with his kids, a girl aged 4 and a toddler aged 2. While the kids were getting dressed he suddenly noticed a man discreetly videotaping from some distance away. When confronted, the man walked away. My friend regrets not confiscating the film.
Shadowy paedophiles lurking in the dark is every parent's nightmare and the insidious face of Evil. A very worrying trend is emerging with the discovery of a raft of mysterious websites featuring children's photos. They include :
(1) Children in swimsuits, playing on the beach
(2) Schoolboys rowing and playing football
(3) Teenage surf lifesaver
The Australian government is preparing a coordinated strategy including new legislation to deal with the problem.
Sad is the day that every parent must scrutinize a wholesome family photo for any possiblity of it drawing the wrong kind of attention before posting it on a family website.
Comments
You better believe it!
This is what my little girl found on a google search. She is a fan of that young british opera singer Charlotte Church, and wanted to get some pictures.
http://groups.msn.com/CharlotteChurchFansOnly/bikini.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=710
Amazing what a little computer editing can do. That the rest of the website says quite a lot about Ms Church's indiscretion is one thing, but this specific picture clearly illustrates the nightmares that many parents of little boys and girls may have.
Posted by: Freddie Chong | August 11, 2005 12:17 AM
That is so scary!
Posted by: Tinkerbell | August 11, 2005 09:28 PM
this actually came to my mind quite sometime ago, it is really sad, I decided to stop putting up my girls picture when they reach three, if I really have to may be will consider password protected post.
Posted by: Twinsmom 土阿妈 | August 13, 2005 02:12 AM
Twinsmom, that would be too sad. Personally I would sooner keep a family blog private than strip it of the kids' pictures. A family blog without kiddie pics is like a blind man visiting an exotic location and could only visualize the story being told by the travel guide.
Posted by: Tinkerbell | August 13, 2005 08:20 PM