A spokesperson for the individual Data Protection Office warns against unthinkable publication of pictures of children during summertime trips. The image of the kid is individual protected by the GDPR. Holidays organisers must get separate parental consent before publishing material with children. There are ways to paper events without compromising the privacy of the youngest.
The Ombudsman of the Office for individual Data Protection pointed out that the issue of the protection of children's individual data, especially during summertime trips, requires peculiar attention from vacation organizers, educational institutions and parents. This is especially about situations where the image of the kid is recorded and published in social media, promotional material and relations with events.
Witowski explained that in the light of the GDPR regulations, the image of the kid is given in person, and its dissemination - even in good religion - requires certain conditions to be met. First of all, a separate voluntary and informed consent of the parent or guardian must be obtained.
Consent cannot be a condition for participation
According to the Ombudsman, specified consent must not be a condition for the kid to participate or restrict his access to the leisure programme. Any consent may be withdrawn at any time and the organiser must respect that decision.
At the same time, he pointed out that protecting the image of a kid does not necessarily mean giving up the documenting of crucial events and there are ways of publishing materials that do not endanger their privacy and dignity. 1 of the recommended solutions is to share photos and videos that show the engagement of children in certain activities without perpetuating their image or physical features allowing them to be identified.
Alternative ways of documenting
Instead of portraits, you can present the effects of children's work - for example drawings, group works, which are traces of their presence and activity without violating their privacy. If it is essential to supply a photograph showing the faces of children, you may consider covering them with emoticons or utilizing a blur effect.
Witowski besides stated that a liable approach to the processing of children's data, including their image, has been 1 of the key educational elements of the Office for individual Data Protection for years. In this context, he pointed out the Polish educational program «Your Data - Your Case» which has been moving for 15 years to students, schools, teachers and parents.
Education programme in September
The next edition of the programme, which has been sponsored by the Polish Press Agency, will begin in September. The aim is to form the attitude of work and awareness regarding the protection of individual data in everyday life, as well as in the context of school relations, extracurricular activities or vacation trips.
UODO together with the Orange Foundation prepared a applicable guide entitled «The image of a kid on the Internet. print or not?», which explains the risks associated with unthinkable sharing of photos of children online. It speaks, among another things, of identity theft, cyber-violence, the dissemination of content without control, and in which situations it is possible to legally and safely process the image of children.
(PAP) Note: This article was edited with Artificial Intelligence.
