Beware of photos of Christmas dinner at work

Beware of photos of Christmas dinner at work

Beware of photos of Christmas dinner at work, because the digital reputation plays an important role. There is no doubt that Christmas dinners are situations in which, both with friends, family and, especially, with co-workers, one tends to relax and unwind, a time when one takes the opportunity to immortalize the end of the year as a celebration with photos and videos in a more relaxed atmosphere.

However, the dissemination of these photos and videos through the Internet is an issue that has raised controversy because, especially in this type of events, one can be reflected in a way that, perhaps, do not want to share with the rest of the Internet.

Workplace Christmas dinner and Data Protection: digital reputation

The digital reputation of people is the prestige or esteem that someone has in the Internet environment. Being aware of the impact that social networks have or can have on people’s daily lives in different areas (family, work…), we must also take into account the scope and effect that the Internet contributes to generate on it.

Although offline reputation can be limited and maintained in a relatively controlled manner, it is no secret that when something is uploaded to the Internet, even in cases where social network profiles are configured as private, it is highly accessible to virtually anyone to access it anywhere and at any time.

Therefore, when we are talking about photos and videos in a celebration that, despite being more relaxed, still affects the work environment of the person, we must highlight the impact that these photos and videos can have on the professional situation of the same.

Prior consent to publish

In order to prevent inconveniences with those photos and videos that may have a negative impact on the digital reputation and, ultimately, to the work sphere of a co-worker, we must make sure that in any case that person agrees with his or her image being uploaded to the Internet and the conditions under which that image will be shared on any social network.

The way to obtain this validation of what we want to share, as well as the way in which we want to share it, is through express consent. However, the opposite situation may occur, and that is that someone shares on the Internet a photo or video that we do not want to appear or, at least, in which we do not want to appear.

In this case, the ideal is always to first ask the person to remove it immediately and, if he or she ignores the request, you can directly request its removal from the social network itself.

If this is still unsuccessful, the last option would be to file a complaint with the Spanish Data Protection Agency, providing all the necessary documentation to prove that the removal of the content has been previously requested.

What does the Spanish Data Protection Agency say?

The AEPD, in its mission to ensure compliance with the rights of individuals in terms of data protection, has clear protocols and criteria to follow when sharing images of third parties on social networks and the Internet in general, especially when it comes to aspects that may have a substantial impact on the working life of individuals, being aware that it is the way any human being has to live.

In this sense, the AEPD indicates that in any case it will be necessary a clear and concise consent about the possibility of sharing content in which third parties appear reflected on the internet in general and social networks in particular.

In Letslaw we are experts in data protection and we can help you to be clear about whether you can upload a photo or video to social networks, or how to request its removal and protect your online reputation.