In Austria, the parents of an 18-year-old women have been sued by their own daughter for what is usually considered the domain of adoring parents: posting childhood pictures. The woman claims that her parents have made her life miserable by posting 500 images on social media without her consent. However, that suggests that parents are not the owners of such pictures when children are still below the age of majority. For years, I have told my complaining children to save whatever grieves them for another chapter in their eventual book, Daddy Dearest.
The pictures include potty training and diaper changing. The woman insists “They knew no shame and no limit – and didn’t care whether it was a picture of me sitting on the toilet or lying naked in my cot – every stage was photographed and then made public.”
Actually the definition of a parent may be those without shame or limits when it comes to their children. The parents have 700 “friends”. The parents refused to delete the photos so their daughter sued them.
Now, as the father of four, I cannot hide who I would favor in this fight. However, does it seem reasonable to view childhood photos as an invasion of privacy? The parents took the photos of a child who was in their care.
The case could open up a new level of liability for doting parents.
What do you think?
These parents violated personal boundaries on a grand scale. WHY would you post 700 photos over the subject’s objection? The woman begged them to stop but they continued on and on. The parents sound vindictive or maybe this was their method of getting her attention/cooperation. Stupid people are the reason we have stupid laws. Based on the info provided, I support her lawsuit.
Clearly this is a dysfunctional relationship. If an 18 year old asks her parents to take down the pics of her as a naked 3 year old going potty on the toilet because her friends are teasing her about it, and she doesn’t want it to get in the hands of pedophiles, and they say no, the parents are out of line.
Plus, what are they doing posting photos of her as a child now? Facebook is only 12 years old, and I doubt her parents joined on Day 1. So for some reason, they are posting photos she finds embarrassing (potty training and naked in her crib, for example) now from when she was a child. Since she finds them upsetting, they are clearly not doing it because they value their relationship with her. It is utter madness to post a photo of a naked child online. Friends can share it, and then it’s just out there in the land of pedophiles. Sounds more like they are deliberately trying to torment her.
If any adult asks a friend or family member to please take down a photo of them, you do it. You stop having the moral right to publish photos against your kids’ wishes once they grow up. And if they bothered them as children, you would think the parents would oblige.
There are legal publishing rights, and there is simple courtesy.
post your pictures of your child to the internet.
Get your child to sue.
Have your Home Owners liability insurance pay the lawsuit.
Split the money
Have your child post pictures of you on the internet.
Sue your child.
Have insurance pay it.
Spilt the money.
Repeat with child #2
My oldest adult child does not allow me to post pictures of her family. I am talking about pictures which would normally be considered fair game if she were a stranger to me, such as pictures of them in public places. The first time my daughter complained about me posting pictures of my grandchildren, I was a little bit annoyed. Why would such pictures be considered private? It made no sense to me, but I immediately deleted them because she requested it. However, I feel a little bit disenfranchised when my friends post pictures of their grandchildren, which I love to see, but I am not allowed to post pictures of my children or grandchildren.
I’ve been thinking of writing a book on technology etiquette for the 21st century: what is moral and what is immoral in the electronic age of texting and social media.
Sounds like you raised your daughter well, David.
Surely there are more serious issues around ! (“…and don’t call me Shirley”)
Reblogged this on pundit from another planet.
Fight fire with fire. Daughter should get even and post embarrassing photos of parents on social media.
Why hasn’t anybody here suggested that?
@SkaterDued, maybe she doesn’t have any embarrassing photos of her parents in her possession.
Very entertaining posts, all. I side 100% w/the daughter. One or both parents have severe personality defect. How fast would their position switch if their daughter had similar parental images and threatened to post them? Zero social media presence is the best goal, unfortunately impossible if you’re in business.
It was amusing and depressing to read Snowden’s confirmation that OS developers and social media companies provided the US government free warrant less back door access to every god forsaken computer and telephone. (Democrats describe as “conspiracy theory” the mounting claims that HRC’s health is worse than HRC’s claims. Remember most of what Snowden confirmed as fact was “conspiracy theory” for two years prior.)
I suppose most readers here already realize that Facebook CEO Zuckerberg’s image ID cell provides facial ID to the US government.
I cannot believe she sued them and I cannot believe they were so pig-headed to leave them up after she requested they remove them. They all deserve each other.
I suspect they will not be asked to babysit the grandchildren.
It’s Austria, total fertility rate of 1.3 children per woman per lifetime. They’d have been fortunate were there any grandchildren. Place will be nice and empty in a few generations Plenty of room for Turks and Syrians to settle and trash the place.
The new Fourth Branch iof government, social media companies, will likely censor those photos anyway.
When I first read this article, I was on the side of the child. It is bad enough when the parents drag out the photo album, but showing it to 700 friends is too much.
On the substantive issue, the young woman has a point. Taking them to court was de trop.
Someone may ask one, the other, or both someday whether it was all worth it. They smart money says both sides double-down.
It is normal to avoid providing free content to Facebook.
It is normal to avoid being the star of your own Truman Show.
It is normal to end a relationship (which the lawsuit will do) when one side refuses to stop a behavior that hurts the other (I.e, posting photos).
One of the parents is nuts (a personality disorder). Maybe both, but the father’s position is typical in its narcissism. “The father is understood to be arguing that since he took the pictures, he has the right to publish them.”
If she is smart she will move at least one day of travel away.
One of the parents is nuts (a personality disorder). Maybe both, but the father’s position is typical in its narcissism. “
Dunno what the clinical term might be. They manifest a deficit of courtesy regarding their daughter that I’d associate more with mothers than with fathers.
I’m sure we,re going to see similar lawsuits here. Nobody has ever been exposed to the public the way we have since Facebook and other social media got started. The “right to privacy” is being redefined. I think there will be court orders to remove these photos, which will take care of the problem. At least until we get technology that makes it impossible for anyone to remove them. We may be getting there.
Austria is a different place than America, the home of the brave and land of the free. In Austria people have a greater consideration of home and privacy. Social media is a disgrace to the human race–particularly if your first name is Grace. We are on social media now. But I would never post a photo of my offspring here or anywhere on social media. Now if I lived on Cloud 9 then I would have a different outlook– or downlook.
What goes up, must go down. That is the problem with Cloud 9 and social media. That is the problem with the internet. The internet provides no privacy. The internet and privacy is a contradiction in terms. Colin Powell understands this. Hillary understands this. Putin understands this. Trump takes advantage of this. So does the media.
There is a photo of Monica and Hillary over on Cloud 9 which needs to be sent down to the media.
In Austria people have a greater consideration of home and privacy.
Yeah. Private homes without children. Germany’s just as disordered in this respect.
Autumn, I understand. I am private both personally and professionally. When I was working full time as a PI I would never allow photos. Before social media came around, I would not allow myself to be seen in newspapers or TV. I was in a fantasy baseball group when those first came into vogue. A local sportswriter did a piece on our league. I opted out of the photo. A local TV reporter wanted to do a piece on me. It would have been good free press but he didn’t want the blacked out face I needed so I declined. I’ve loosened up in my older years.
Riesling. BINGO. This is obviously a proxy fight.
Obviously their relationship is messed up. Why couldn’t the parents just delete the photos? Think about it…..would it be ok if they tacked her picture to every available public bulletin board- at the grocery store, library, coffee house etc. How about on a billboard at a busy intetsection? We would say her parents are nuts. Social media is even worse!
I am not a parent myself but as a person who NEVER allows families and friends to post me on FB, etc. I fully understand her resentment. How annoying to be part of self-indulgent parents who post every pic of their offspring’s successes and failures.
She probably made matters worse by complaining about the photos. I wonder if the ones of her nekkid, and on the toilet could be considered “Kiddie Porn???” In a strictly legal sense???
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter