There I was, eyes closed, in an unfamiliar t-shirt and yoga pants, sitting in an unfamiliar position on the ground. It was a celebration of yoga day and like every true-blue sedentary misfit, I had decided to turn a new leaf and work towards standing upside down in the distant future.
Imagine my horror then, when I opened my eyes, to find a vaguely familiar community member pointing his phone camera at me and clicking furiously. When I protested, he happily showed me the photos he had taken and said they would illustrate the success of the event.
Well, all I can say is that the photos did not look anything like those peaceful and glam yogis on social media – I looked in pain and clearly a novice at the Padmasana. I requested him to delete them and spent a good 10 minutes explaining that it was rude to simply shoot photos of people for social media without their permission – and actually against the law.
We live in a photo-democracy. Ever since smart phones came equipped with Henri Cartier-Bresson-level in-built cameras, everybody thinks its their birthright to just aim and shoot. No permission asked. And unlike the old days when negatives and photos faded, these digital photos live on forever online. So you are immortalised on social media forever in a tee and sitting awkwardly cross-legged when you really want your public image to be one of stately elegance in a saree.
Its more than vanity, though. This enforced celebrity status makes you reluctant to risk looking foolish by trying out new things.
And then, for some it is a serious issue of safety.
A friend in the UK, who is an international rights lawyer, refuses to be photographed. Even when addressing seminars and international conferences, that’s the fine print on her contract – that her presentation will be given out only in audio or print format and she will not be photographed. Its seen as an eccentricity but clearly she is valuable enough for organisers to comply.
I was thinking about this as I posted a bunch of happy photos online – all taken with permission, I hasten to add. In safe and cosy Bahrain, we think nothing of posting photos of our day at the beach or in the mall or a party. Often official functions are delayed or disrupted because some of the organisers are themselves busy clicking selfies with celebs.
But just last week, there was a news flash of a large-scale data breach impacting major tech companies such as Facebook, Google and Apple. It was reported that 16 billion login credentials, including passwords, were exposed in the breach, making it one of the largest data leaks in history. The big risk is that your photos will be used by private security firms to generate AI information kits of your lifestyle, where you live and whom you associate with. In many cases, if these details match a random act of law-breaking like driving under influence, even if it was not you, you will be held responsible for your AI doppleganger’s imagined crime.
Social media is still a new beast. Before we ride it, let us put the protocol in place.
meeraresponse@gmail.com
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