Grandparents posting pictures of their grandchildren to social media is as common as the ubiquitous selfie.
But one grandmother’s falling out with the family has had consequences for her ability to post pictures of her grandkids – and the court ruling against her is pouring hefty fines on her every day that the pictures stay up.
If you think this sounds like some dystopian nightmare, well, it’s really nothing new to family law practitioners and counselors. When things go bad, they can get awful, and, in this case, the mother of the children in question had a problem with the grandmother. She then went to court to force the grandmother to remove the pics from social media.
We know what you’re probably thinking: What does this have to do with me?
It involves the European Union's new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Because the pictures were on Facebook where they could be viewed by third parties and others, the grandmother doesn’t have a right to post them without the consent of the grandchildren. That’s something she’s unlikely to get and the court’s novel application of the GDPR, in this case, has many people wondering what’s next.
The fine for keeping the pictures up is €50 per day until a maximum fine of €1000 is accrued. As FStoppers reports, this fine will renew each time she posts a new picture of the grandchildren to social media.
The BBC quotes Neil Brown, a technology lawyer at Decoded legal, who says of the court’s ruling, “I think the ruling will surprise a lot of people who probably don't think too much before they tweet or post photos…Irrespective of the legal position, would it be reasonable for the people who've posted those photos to think, ‘Well, he or she doesn't want them out there anymore’? Actually, the reasonable thing – the human thing to do – is to go and take them down.”
What do you think of the court’s ruling Let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments section below.
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3 Comments
If I could afford it I would offer the grandmother 1000 pounds to cover the fines.
Krista, I guess you know nothing about family dynamics and how awful they can be. You don’t know what happened, this Gran may be insane and abusive for all you know. Ya you want to support that!
I agree with the court. If the children’s parents don’t want pictures posted, she should take them down. Children have as much right to privacy as adults. I’ve seen parents posting pictures that could be embarrassing to the children, especially when they become adults. We should be respectful of their privacy. To do otherwise is pretty darned selfish.