Should You Be Required to Obtain Permission before Posting Photos of Others? 

Concerning this topic, it all comes down to privacy matters. In my opinion, it depends on the case. I do not agree that one should take permission of posting photos of his family and close friends as the intention can not be misunderstood. Yet, in the case of public, if a picture of a stranger is taken for instance, it is not okay in my opinion to post it unless a permission is granted. There definitely should be permission before posting the pictures in general depending on the forum.

As we know, even close friends and family sometimes do not like their pictures to be posted in the social media forums. Therefore, in these instances, one should be aware of others’ responses and emotions considering such private matter. Some people are insecure about their look or just against exposure in public in general, thus one should be safe and avoid conflicts by asking for permission.

On other hand, if the photos are posted in a classroom blog for instance, to which no body can access except students in the same class, I think posting photos of whoever is not a big issue as the access to such photos is not public and the intention of those photos are part of a homework perhaps.

Second Opinion

With all the new types of technology and various forms of social media out there in the world today this question can be tough to give a clear black and white answer to. Especially when you consider the fact that in the United States it is not illegal to take or post a picture of someone, depending on the nature, intent, and privacy expectations of the photo, without their consent. This question then brings into play the unwritten rules of common courtesy in society such as saying please and thank you. It doesn’t take much time, effort, or energy to ask the person or people in the photo you plan on posting for their permission so why not do so? There are sometimes however when you want to post a picture of someone you don’t know and therefore can’t ask so then what? This can quickly  become a sticky situation because if you think it about there would be a lot of news stories, beautiful photographs, and funny internet “memes” that never would have been created if someone hadn’t uploaded those pictures because they didn’t/weren’t able to ask for consent. On the other hand, a lot of people have fallen victim to bullying because of pictures posted of them online without their consent.  It’s hard to predict what reactions or consequences a picture will cause after you post it online so I personally believe that the best option is to ask before you post.