Should proud parents be punished?
While proud parents might like to share every tenuous moment of the child-rearing process with their mates online, their Kodak kids could land them in a lot of trouble in later life, experts warn.
Parents in France have been officially notified that their kids could be owed as much as €45,000 in damages if they deem their photos to be too revealing or inappropriate.
Eric Delcroix, an expert on internet law and ethics, told Le Figaro:
“In a few years, children could easily take their parents to court for publishing photos of them when they were younger. Children at certain stages do not wish to be photographed or still less for those photos to be made public.”
Many commentators have described the move as a “huge knee-jerk reaction” from French law makers. Others see there change as a mark of things to come.
For Matthew Hussey, tech expert and author at The Next Web, this is yet another example of identity politics running out of control, encourage future children to act like victims:
“We may be sleepwalking into an age in which affection, presented under the guise of a baby photo, is viewed as a threat that needs to be punished, and we’re creating laws that make this easier than ever before.”
Yeah, sure, the potential for embarrassment years down the line is possible. Maybe even probable. But does that mean it’s ever OK to sue your own parents? Over a photo?
