Teen sues parents for sharing childhood photos on Facebook
AUSTRIA -- An 18-year-old Austrian woman is suing her parents for posting embarrassing childhood photos of her on Facebook without her consent.
She claims that since 2009 they have been constantly posting photos of her, including embarrassing and intimate images from her childhood.
Michael Rami, her lawyer, claims that her parents have posted 500 images of her on the social media site without her consent, and he believes she has a good chance of winning in court.
The Local reports the shared images include baby pictures of diaper changes, potty training and nude baby photos.
"They knew no shame and no limit -- and didn't care whether it was a picture of me sitting on the toilet or lying naked in my cot -- every stage was photographed and then made public," the 18-year-old said.
Despite her requests, they have refused to delete the photos, prompting her to sue them.
"I'm tired of not being taken seriously by my parents", she said.
Her father believes that since he took the photos, he has the right to publish the images.
The parents have 700 friends and their privacy settings are unknown.
WFTS reports that the case will be heard in November, and if the parents lose, this could have repercussions for Austrians who post countless images of their children on social media without their consent.
Austrian privacy laws when it comes to social media are not as strict as some other countries - for example in France, anyone convicted of publishing and distributing images of another person without their consent can face up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $45,000. This would apply to parents publishing images of their children, too.
