Sharing the photo of your child on the first day of school has become a tradition for many parents. But the sign held in the hands of little schoolchildren often contains a lot of information. This cybersecurity expert gives us his advice.
The start of the school year is approaching and the first day of school is an opportunity for parents to immortalize this new stage in the child’s life. The day he does first start of daycare, kindergarten or first grade…is always moving for parents. Take a photo of your child with his little school bag, holding a “1st day of school” sign has indeed become an essential cliché during the back-to-school season. But this photo is not without danger, according to Benoît Grunemwald, cybersecurity expert at Eset.
What is actually hidden behind the back-to-school photo
The photo of the first day of school indeed contains a lot of information about the life of the child : his first and last name, the school year (and therefore the age of the child), sometimes even the name of the school… which makes it possible to determine the place of residence of the pupil. “The level of dangerousness therefore depends on the amount of information about the child“, explains the specialist. This personal information “allow for example to constitute a beginning of file, to find access to platforms, if the young person has an ENT for example“explains Benoît Grunemwald.
His advice before sharing his child’s class photo on the networks
Sharing the photo of your child on social networks is never without danger, reminds the expert. “These photos taken by family or relatives are often used on pedophile sites. In general, we therefore avoid sharing photos of children on the Internet“. However, if you want to share your child’s photo at the start of the school year outside the family sphere, you should follow these tips:
- Properly set up your account
- Restrict the scope of the social media post,
- Blur the child’s face as well as the information mentioned on the sign of the first day of school.
- Make the photo as neutral as possible, without too much information about the private life of the child. “Don’t take the photo in front of the school or just in front of the house for example.
The cybersecurity expert also recalls the risks that such a photo, taken without the child’s consent, will later be found on the Internet. “The first day of class photo can be part of a folder, photo set, and come out years later, for example, the day you create your CV. The child who has become an adult could then find his class photo in front of his primary school, when it is an element of his life. private“. He advises to take certain precautions and to leave the child his free will by limiting the exposure of his private life to the general public.
Thanks to Benoît Grunemwald, cybersecurity expert at Eset.