Why Photos of Your Kids Aren't Safe on Facebook

on May 24, 2010 at 1:45 PM

Facebook privacy
Photo from FacebookI keep my Facebook privacy status tighter than a screaming scrum of toddlers in the front row of a Yo Gabba Gabba concert.

So why did the entire world have access to my "private" photos of my daughter on Facebook?

Because setting your Facebook status to private and marking every single category "friends only" aren't enough.

Each photo album you build is automatically set to be open to "everyone."

Which I learned completely on accident -- when a non-Facebook friend mentioned the photos she'd seen of my daughter. I almost flipped a lid!

Want to change that?

Go to Privacy, then "Photo Settings." Each time you add an album, you'll have to go in and change the setting to "Only Friends" or "Friends of Friends" or whoever you want checking out photos of your kids.

This isn't the end of the world, to be honest. I'm not joining the waves of people "quitting Facebook" because if I have a photo of my daughter that I'm willing to show to anyone other than my husband, then there's little reason the world can't see it.

Remember -- pedophiles can see your kids walking down the street just as easily as they can find the photos on Facebook. Legally, they can take photos of your kids at Disney World or in the park because you've taken them out in a public place.

My bigger concern is having photos of my daughter taken and used by someone who doesn't have the rights to my photography skills (I am a photographer by trade).

Now that won't happen.

Were your Facebook photo albums an open book?

About the author Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. Diet Pepsi courses through her veins. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

Filed Under: internet

Comments (19)

ethans_momma06

on May 24, 2010 at 1:46 PM

Nope, mine were all set to private :)

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lovinangels

on May 24, 2010 at 1:49 PM

i did know this, but great piece.

Nonmember comment from georgette g

on May 24, 2010 at 2:03 PM

I had them all set so only my friends could see them, but only found out I had to do that recently.

LokisMama

on May 24, 2010 at 8:18 PM

I didn't know that...I just went through and set all of mine to friends only.

sodapple

on May 24, 2010 at 8:48 PM

i have them set to friends only and i have blocked certain friends for looking at them.... all of the albums that i have.

toriandgrace

on May 24, 2010 at 11:16 PM

Mine are always set as just friends.

Carey2006

on May 25, 2010 at 12:25 AM

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING!!!!!! These facebook 'privacy issues' are DRIVING me CRAZY!!!!!!!!! I haven't even been on it a year and I'm starting to regret the CONS.

HContos

on May 25, 2010 at 2:23 PM

Thanks for posting this. I already had mine, my husband's, my daughter's and my mom's set on this. I took the time to figure it out though. So many people don't realize that they can do it. I had someone take my profile pic and make it their own. Someone I didn't know. I like that FBook alerted me about this. I felt honored and a bit worried at the same time. Now I just need to learn how to watermark mass volumes of photos at a time. I will feel more comfortable about people using my photos after that :)

AmyinMotown

on May 26, 2010 at 10:37 AM

I figured this out when I posted one album and then saw another was set to "everyone." And even then, I don't post pictures that make it obvious where she goes to school, etc.

Interesting you note the "pedophiles can photograph your kids in public" thing. When my daughter was about nine months old, we were at a local street fair with her when I saw a guy point a camera at her in her stroller -- just a cheesy disposable, not a nice DSLR or anything, so I knew he wasn't shooting the event in any official capacity, and I think most pros would ask permission first anyway. So I kind of casually moved myself in front of her to block her from his view. He actually made eye contact with me and eventually moved away. A little later, we were sitting on a lawn eating and these guys were behind us, and I heard on of them say to the other "That guy just took our picture." I looked up and it was Mr. Sicko again, walking away. To this day I regret not flagging down the cops, but I guess they couldn't have done anything anyway.

tazdvl

on May 27, 2010 at 6:18 PM

I have mine set up for just friends and b/c I added some to play games I also customize my albums so they can't see any of my pictures, I have checked and it does work. You may have to go in and change everything whenever they update their privacy control, I hear they will be doing it again soon.