How to Reduce the Risk of Online Photo Sharing

#HOWTO | The unauthorized use of facial imagery may be one of the biggest digital risks that our kids face in the future. Understanding the facts and starting to prepare now is the easy part.

In an era where kids communicate via visual content that is often shared publicly, the risk of the content being abused (and living in digital perpetuity) can cause immense tension within families.

As it is, parents and caregivers face unprecedented challenges in safeguarding their children's privacy online, full stop. But unfortunately, mitigating the risk of image-related content should be a top priority right now.

As technology advances with deepfakes, facial recognition, and AI-generated content, even innocent photos (not the least of which those created at school, such as during sports or for the yearbook) may pose unforeseen risks in the years ahead.

We aren’t powerless to reduce this risk. So, hopefully, the few thoughts here can get you started.

The Risk List

As someone who thinks, consults, and writes all day about technology and its impact on our lives, helping people to understand the problem is challenging.

Often our understanding of risk is tied to our own personal experience …