Proud Moms and Dads often are eager to share class portraits or photos from a soccer game or dance recital.
But consider these incidents recently reported in the news:
An American family found that a holiday photo they had posted ended up being used as a front window advertisement for a grocery store in the Czech Republic.
And a teenage girl discovered that her photo was part of an advertisement for Virgin Mobile halfway around the world.
Then, there are pedophiles who download images and store them.
Posting photographs online should be a realistic concern for parents, said Deputy Carly Hose, community relations and crime prevention unit of the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
"In this day and age, you have to be very careful about how much information you are putting on the Internet," she said. "Because once it's out there, it's out there for the world to see. And you never know who is reading it, looking at it and copying it."
While the Internet is wonderful technology, Hose said it has opened the door to all sorts of crime.
"And nothing is truly secure," she said. "The Internet is always changing and hackers are always finding a way to get into secure systems There is no such thing as private."
Hose said she presents programs on Internet safety to organizations and schools around Washington County.
The point she always stresses, she said, is you have to be very discriminatory about what you are sharing with the world.
And that includes photographs.
"After certain individuals see a photo of a child, they might present themselves to be children, too," she said. "They can begin emailing your child, getting their trust, developing a friendship and them asking them to meet them at such a place and such a time. The child thinks they are going to meet a friend and end up putting themselves in a dangerous situation."
Hose said she also can "absolutely see people trying to make a profit from photos."
There is always the chance that other people will "borrow" photos to claim as their own and use in other forms of media, she said.
Another area of concern, according to the Family Online Safety Institute, is cyber bullying. If you share photos of your child that might be considered embarrassing, there is a possibility that a bully will seek them out and use them to taunt or abuse your child.
Hose said such cases are very realistic.
"There are great concerns the way the social networking community is evolving, including cases of cyber bullying on sites such as Facebook," she said. "Whatever issue that happened during the day at school continues on the Internet."
Hose said the bottom line is "don't put a thing on the Internet that you wouldn't be comfortable putting on a billboard."
In addition to photos, Hose said be extremely careful about posting personal information and be keenly aware of what your teen is posting.
"It amazes me how kids will friend anybody on Facebook," Hose said. "Often, they don't know who these people are and they're allowing them into their site, sharing photos and information."
Parents need to be vigilant in protecting their child's safety, she said.
Hose suggests placing computers in open locations, where a parent can be looking over their child's shoulder.
"The kids may not like it, but they are still children, even if they're teenagers," she said. "Their perception of the world is not the same as an adult."
Hose suggests placing computers in open locations, where a parent can look over his or her child's shoulder.
"The kids may not like it, but they are still children, even if they're teenagers," she said. "Their perception of the world is not the same as an adult."
Hose also suggested setting controls on the computer, blocking access to certain sites and the hours that their children can be on the computer.
Also, check the history on the computer, she said.
Parents, too, need to be aware of their Internet habits, Hose said.
For instance, although sites such as Flickr allow you to create online albums that are can only be viewed through a guest pass, parents should use common sense in what they post.
"Even secure systems are not truly secure," she said.
Tips from the family online safety institute:
- • Never post any provocative photos. However cute you might think the photo is, it doesn't belong online.
- Avoid posting any photos that can be used to identify your child's location, such as a baseball team logo or school banner.
- Do not post photos of other children without the express approval of their parents.
- Use strict privacy settings, but keep in mind that however locked down your Facebook page might be, a photo can quickly pass beyond your own list of friends.
- Monitor your child's own Facebook page. When your kids are old enough to have their own Facebook account, keep a close eye on what they post.
