Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 18:44:48 -0700
From: Dennis Dawson <Dennis.Dawson@oracle.com>
To: balloon@balloonhq.com
Subject: Web Pictures

Magic John writes:

<!--snip-->
I have recently put up a web page to advertise my shows. I want to put up
pictures for kids with balloons and have even taken pictures of the kids at
some of the parties I have performed, all taken with parental consent. But
now I am nervous about putting them on-line. I know about the monsters that
lurk in cyberspace and do not want any harm to come to any children. Should
I just trash this pictures I took and put up pictures of me with the
balloons? Any input would be appreciated.

<!-- end snip -->

This is a little extreme. Yes there are "monsters" on the web. There are also
"monsters" of this type in public parks, at the mall, in churches, in schools,
etc.

Putting a picture of a child up on the web is harmless (if you specifically have
consent from their parents to use it for this purpose - you may want to get that
in writing, to be safe from litigation).

What you don't want to do is say "This is a picture of Johnny Doe I took at
Anonymous Grammar School in Wherezat, Kansas." That would enable a "monster" to
track little Johnny down. If you put a picture up on your website, it should
focus on the balloon that Johnny's holding. Don't identify Johnny by name. Don't
mention specifically where the picture was taken.

There's no magical software that will enable a pedophile to track down a child
based on a photograph (not yet, anyway). Just be careful not to put anything on
the web page that would enable someone to find the child easily. The "monsters"
will have to search elsewhere.

If you're really concerned about this, you can use a paint program to blot out
or blur the child's face. You can crop the picture so that only the balloon
shows (that's what people should be looking at, anyway). Show children from the
back wearing a balloon hat or holding a balloon up in front of you. Anyone
viewing the site will know why you omitted a child's image, understand your
reasons and commend you for it.

Cap'n Denny (the Red-eyed when you use a Flash)