Twitter will no longer allow “the sharing of photos or videos of private individuals without their consent”
Twitter recently announced that it will no longer allow “the sharing of private media, such as photos or videos of private individuals, without their consent”. The move came into effect through extension of social media platforms Personal information and communication policy.
In practical terms, this means photos and videos can be deleted if the photographer doesn’t get the consent of the people who took the photo before sharing the item on Twitter. Individuals who see their pictures shared online without consent can report the post and Twitter will then decide if it should be taken down.
Based on Twitter, the change comes in response to “growing concerns about the misuse of media and information that is not available online as a tool for harassment, intimidation and disclosure of the identity of individuals”.
While this move signals a shift towards more protection of individual privacy, there are still questions around implementation and enforcement.
In contrast to some European countries – France, for example, has a strong privacy culture around image rights under Article 9 of French Civil Code – The UK does not have a strong tradition rights to the image.
This means that there is little an individual can do to prevent their image from circulating freely online, unless it is deemed to be within limited legal protection. For example, in relevant circumstances, an individual may be protected under section 33 of Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015, which addresses image-based sexual abuse. Legal protection may also be available if the image is deemed to be contrary to license or data protection terms.
One side, take pictures freely fiercely defended, largely by the media and by photographers. On the other hand, private, unwanted or humiliating photos can cause considerable discomfort and distress, with a conflict of rights between the photographer (the photo’s legal owner) and the taken (usually no claim is made for the image).
My research
For my PhD, I surveyed 189 adults living in England and Wales about their experiences with images shared online, especially via social media. My discovery has been published this early year.
While some participants were not bothered or even gratified to see their images shared online, for others, finding images with which they disagreed posted feel uncomfortable. As one participant said:
Luckily, I don’t look too bad and don’t do anything stupid, but I’d rather have more control over how I appear to the public.
Another said:
I’m pretty angry about my pictures being shared on social media without my permission.
The majority of respondents support increased legal protection of individual rights which means that their images cannot be used without consent (55% agree, 27% unsure and 18%). disagree). Meanwhile, 75% of respondents think that social networking sites should play a bigger role in protecting privacy.
I see people don’t necessarily seek legal protection in this regard. Many are just looking for some kind of avenue, as it has become the norm for social media photos, for example, to not be deleted at the request of the person being taken.
Twitter’s policy change represents a pragmatic solution, giving individuals greater control over how their images are used. This can be useful, especially from a safety perspective, for Twitter groups determined, including women, activists, dissidents and members of minority communities. For example, an image revealing the location of a woman who has escaped domestic violence could put that person in significant danger if the image is seen by her abuser.
It can also be useful for children in the audience.”To share“- there are pictures shared online by parents at every stage of growing up. In theory, these kids can now report these images when they’re old enough to understand how. Alternatively, they can ask a representative to do this for them.
Dental problems
Understandably this change caused some confusion, especially among photographers. Civil liberties group Big Brother Watch Yes policy criticism for being “too broad”, arguing that it would lead to online censorship.
It’s important to note that this is not a comprehensive ban on images of individuals. Twitter has said images or videos show people participating in public events (such as large protests or sporting events) in general. will not violate policy.
They also draw attention to some Exception, including where the image is newsworthy, of public interest, or where the subject is a public figure. But how the public interest will be explained will benefit from more clarity. Similarly, how this policy will apply to the media is not entirely clear.
There have been a few teething problems within a week of the policy’s launch. Co-ordinated reports by extremist groups regarding their photos at alleged hate protests have led to numerous Twitter accounts belonging to anti-extremism researchers and journalists. suspended by mistake. Twitter says it has fixes and make internal reviews.
There are also concerns that minority groups could be harmed by the policy if they have difficulty sharing images that highlight abuse or injustice, such as police brutality. Although Twitter has said that such events will be exempt from the rule on the grounds that trustworthy, how this will be enforced remains unclear.
There are certainly problems that need to be addressed. But ultimately, this policy change has the potential to protect individuals’ privacy and facilitate a more deliberate approach to image sharing.
(Author: Holly Hancock, Torture Law Lecturer, University of East Anglia)
This article was republished from Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read original article.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
