January 07, 2007

Do You Expect Photo Privacy on the Net

When you post pictures online, do you expect privacy or the ability to remain anonymous? I personally feel if you post online you waived all those expectations. The Internet is open to the world, so you will eventually be found by someone.

National Geographic News (January 5, 2007) reports that the ability to stay anonymous in photos is really changing in the near future. Currently, photos can only be searched by the words in the caption or filename. A company called Polar Rose plans to launch an Internet - based face recognition software that will be compatible with Flickr.

I agree that the software can be abused by the criminal element, potential employers reaching beyond traditional due diligence, or current employers monitoring the non-work activities of employers. I believe you go after the abusers and not the tools.

This tool will be powerful and very beneficial. Imagine searching for a lost child or a criminal on the run. Or, imagine being able to locate pictures others are posting of you. I think the benefits greatly outweigh the possible abuses. Besides, I will go back to my original statement - if you post on the Internet, you have already waived your rights to privacy.

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