How to Safely Share Pictures on the Internet

Keep your pictures safe when sharing them on the Internet.

Digital cameras make pictures instantly available. You can share immediately with everyone around you, carry your camera around to show the pictures to other people and print the pictures out. The Internet makes sharing these same pictures even easier -- simply hook up a USB cord to your camera and your pictures are available to post on any website. However, some pictures may be of subjects that you want to keep private or you may have security concerns. Keep your peace of mind by safely sharing your pictures on the Internet.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Internet
• Digital Camera

Instructions

1. Get permission. If you are not the only person in the picture, you'll need to get the permission of the other people shown. While just asking a family member's permission may suffice, for others you'll want to use a model release. Always get permission before you share a picture of another person's child on the Internet.

2. Choose the right photo sharing site. To safely share pictures on the Internet, you want to be able to control the access to your pictures. Use only sites that allow you to password protect your picture.

3. Read the terms of service for any site where you intend to share pictures on the Internet. Look for wording that gives the right to use your pictures to the site. Sharing your pictures on these sites gives permission for them to use your pictures without contacting you further. Choose safely and only share your pictures on sites that allow you to keep the rights to your photos.

4. Familiarize yourself with all the privacy settings of your picture-sharing Internet site. Some sites allow you to set different options to control who sees your picture. Ideally, you should be able to choose settings that allow you to specify that your pictures can only be seen by friends or, for greatest safety, be password protected.

5. Password-protect any pictures that you share. Then only give the password to people that you trust to view the pictures on the Internet. Your friends can go to the website, enter the password and see the pictures.

6. Add a watermark to your pictures before sharing on the Internet. Using a light watermark will deter people wanting to use the pictures on their websites from copying yours. Use a non-personal word or group of letters for greatest safety.

7. Avoid sharing personal information with your pictures. Do not identify people in your picture by name, especially children. To be completely safe, do not use captions or title the pictures that you are sharing on the Internet.

Tips & Warnings

• Feel free to visit my site on shutterfly.com listed at the bottom of the article.

• Check out my site at www.barrymanilow.shutterfly.com.

• The password is swordfish.

• Check with your principal before you share pictures of your students on the internet.

References

• FindLaw.com: Internet Safety -- Is it Safe to Post Photos of Your Kids Online?

Resources

• BizTree.com: Model Release and Permission to Use Photographs
• HardGeek.org: 20 Amazing Websites To Share Your Photos Online