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Ask HN: Facebook knows which images I am in. Why can't I “disappear”?

8 points by hoodoof ↗ HN
I don't want my image on Facebook.

Facebook knows who I am because people keep tagging me in photos.

Why do I not have the right to say "blank me out of all photos".

It should be up to me if my image is on Facbeook.

Facebook has the technology to identify me and therefore it should give me the right to NOT appear, even if (especially if) I don't have a Facebook account.

6 comments

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Risc12
When someone takes a picture of you, they need to have your consent. After they have your picture it is their right to distribute it. This is not a problem of facebook, more a problem of someone violating your Personality Rights.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_rights

eugenez
At least in the United States, Personality rights are only for commercial use. You do not need someone's consent to take their photo or to publish said photo as long as you do not attempt to profit from it.

This for example allows you to take a photo on the street and publish it even if the photo contains some strangers. The concern that does come up is whether the subject of the photo has a reasonable expectation of privacy; if they are in public, they do not. (note: not a lawyer, but I have taken many photos of strangers)

J_Darnley
Easy: don't have a facebook account, don't let friends take your picture, don't have friends.
NeutronBoy
> It should be up to me if my image is on Facbeook

It is, but it's not Facebook who put the images there. It's the people taking the photos and uploading them. Tell your friends not to tag you.

If you have a Facebook account, then you can disable you being 'auto-tagged' in pictures [1]. If you don't, then you can't be tagged properly (eg linked to a profile, obviously), and there's only the text descriptions that people put there.

[1] https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=timeline

DanBC
You could try to use European data protection laws. Photos of your face, and your name, are both personal data.

This approach might be tricky. Are you an EU citizen? Does Facebook have any EU presence?