Teachers/Admin: Are we compromising student privacy by posting class photos online?

I'm a teacher and this is something I've been thinking about constantly. We are encouraged to post class photos, project groups, and event pictures to social media or the school website for engagement. But what happens to the faces in those pictures ten years later?

I recently saw a demonstration of a search system one like faceseek natural that can instantly match a blurry childhood photo to a current adult profile. This means that every single picture we post of a student, even if we don't use their name, becomes a permanent, traceable biometric ID.

Are schools doing enough to protect our students' future privacy? What are the legal guidelines for using student photos? Does the school have a policy for digitally blurring or scrubbing faces after a certain number of years? I feel like we are creating a massive, irreversible digital footprint for minors without truly informed consent.

Submitted November 06, 2025 at 01:55AM by CoolStar0 https://ift.tt/5YlNRfj