Police warn of risks when posting school photos

Guernsey Police has warned parents about posting back-to-school photos containing identifying information on social media.

This followed a social media post by Sussex Police which highlighted how the photos could allow individuals to create Artificial-Intelligence (AI) generated child abuse imagery or identify a family's location and schedule.

Not-for-profit organisations and supervisory data bodies have encouraged parents to be aware when posting such photos when schools return for the next term.

DI Tom Lowe, from Guernsey Police, said: "We're not trying to discourage people recording these memories [but wish to] highlight the risk."

Lowe said AI allows "more opportunity for people to exploit images being posted online."

He said the police was aiming to "raise awareness" so parents can "make the judgement correctly" when posting photos online.

Lowe pointed to the social media post by Sussex police as an example of how "a picture can contain a thousand little minutiae" that could allow people with "malicious intent" to pick up on identifying information.

"Think about house names, road names, vehicle identifiers and if your son or daughter is holding specific items containing their names," Lowe said.

Guernsey Police wanted parents to be aware what information is "out in the public and can be utilised."

Lowe said the police continue to "work with Home Affairs to ensure that the laws needed are put forward and put into place" regarding AI technology.

Ghislaine Bombusa, from online safety organisation Internet Matters, said parents should "take a pause" and think "what is identifiable" when sharing back-to-school photos online.

She said parents should "celebrate moments with their children" but to "be aware" of what images could be used for.

"This image of your child can be turned into a sexualised or an abusive image", she said.

Bombusa added the more information is shared, the more parents were "giving opportunities for people to build a picture of your child".

"This is where they live, this is where I can find them, this is where they go to school, that is a potential risk", she added.

She made clear that the organisation was not "saying you can't share at all" but making sure parents are "taking that pause and time to check" before sharing images and information.

Rachel Masteron is the deputy data protection officer at the Office for Data Protection Authority in Guernsey, and said the information in school photos can allow individuals to "identify locations and possibly work out passwords".

Masterton pointed out how "even a parents name on a coffee cup" in a photo could allow "somebody who might want to do nefarious things" to win a child's trust.

She said: "As a child you are more likely to think, they do know me so maybe I will go with them."

She said it's a "sad indictment of the world today that we need to be thinking like this but it is there."

The shared information could reveal families are on holiday "therefore your home is ready for someone to break into" or posting pictures of a child could mean "their images might be taken and used in a deep fake", Masterson said.

Masterton said authorities don't want parents to "overthink to the point of paralysis" when posting online but having all the information posted online "in one place could be where it starts to cause bigger problems".

"It allows information to be linked together and used in ways that you might not expect," she said.

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