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Photo Sharing

Sharing and distributing digital photos over the Internet

Photo sharing is the electronic sharing and distribution of digital photos either in public or only to some selected others. There are various methods to sharing photos that could involve using applications to either upload the photos online or email them to others.

Many Web sites, blogs and online galleries provide a free service that allows the uploading of photos up to a certain size limit. These services give the individual some editing and organization features. They allow you to order your photos and display them with backgrounds and captions. You could display photos in slideshows, rotations and thumbnail or filmstrip views. Images can be grouped into folders, called galleries, that can be given a relevant name, such as the date or event.

Example of a photo upload tool on Flickr

Image source: Flickr 

Certain applications allow the transfer of photos on a peer-to-peer network. However, the authenticity should be checked before the transfer begins. Also, while the transfer is on, special care must be taken so that the photos cannot be viewed by any others. If all necessary users cannot connect through the network all the time to share photos, a better option may be the use of a reliable central server for storing the photos.

Other portable devices like a PDA and camera phone can be used in photo sharing if they have wireless networking available.

Examples of Web sites for photo sharing:

Take the time to read the policies on photo sharing sites, particularly if you are concerned with your photos being used by others. Google's Picasa Web Album, for example, allows users to retain the copyright to images. Kodak Gallery claims a right to use and distribute your images. Flickr also claims a right to use photos that are published in public areas.

While these Web site services require registration, all of them are free to use. Some sites might not provide features that protect your photos from being viewed and downloaded by strangers. It is worthwhile to seek Web sites that allow users to give viewing rights to friends and family only.

Photo privacy settings on Flickr

Image source: Flickr 

There are risks involved with photo sharing stemming from the loss of control over who can view and use a photo once it is shared. Digital photos are simple to copy, edit and distribute.

Protective Measures

Practices

  • Respect the privacy of others. Avoid publishing information that could be used to identify and locate individuals in pictures. Never publish contact information along with pictures of individuals.
  • Limit views to family and friends. Only use photo services that allow you to control who can view your photos. Google's Picasa Web Album  and Flickr  give users this option, but Orkut allows anyone to view and save your photos on their desktop.
  • Invite only trusted people to view your personal photos. When creating an online album, make it private and invite friends and/or relatives to view them. This way, the Web site will not allow the general public to view your photos, which helps to protect them from misuse.

Tools

  • Backup tools. Protect photos from viruses, hard drive crashes, and file corruption with the use of applications, such as Protect My Photos , which automatically back up photos to a secured data center. You can restore lost or damaged images from the backup.
  • Copyright protection tools. Protect the copyright of your photos, if it concerns you that they may be used and published by others. Software is available that allows you to disable the right-click menu on photos, so you can prevent viewers from saving or printing your photos on their computer. Another application called Picture Player Business Edition  allows you to scramble images and store them so that no one else can view the photos without this software.

Legal Issues

Legal

Because digital photos can be easily downloaded and edited, users are at risk of losing control of or losing credit for their photos after they are published online.

In one case of misuse, billboards for Australia’s Virgin Mobile featured a 16-year-old American girl who never gave consent to the use of her photo. The company had found her photo on a photo sharing site, where the girl's friend had published the photo under a Creative Commons  license that allowed the photo to be used for commercial purposes. The teen's family and the photographer sued Virgin Mobile .

The Electronic Privacy Information Centre helps victims of the misuse of digital photos to take legal action. The Internet Fraud Complaint Center of the FBI is another organization where victims can file a complaint.

Ethical

Users of photo sharing sites should only upload photographs taken by themselves. It is unethical to publish other people's photos without their permission and without a note to give them credit.

Remember that photo sharing sites attract a wide audience that includes children, students, teachers, parents, professionals and seniors. Use good taste in the photos that you publish to avoid offending others or damaging someone's reputation.

Privacy

It is important to respect the privacy of others who are the subjects of photographs. Do not publish embarrassing, nude or incriminating photos of others, especially in areas that can be viewed by a public audience.

References

Links

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