SRO Cautions Families Ahead of School Photos

First Day of School pictures are an important feature of family photo albums. SRO (School Resource Officer) Deputy Roberts sent a reminder to all parents and guardians on the Henry County Sheriff's Facebook page. With this words he also posted photos showing too much information and suggested an alternative.

His words of caution were, “In just a couple weeks it’ll be ‘first day of school’ photo time for Henry County students! Be careful about how much information you post about your children on social media. Also, be attentive as to what’s in the background of your photos — school name, house address, mailbox number, etc. It only takes one person to screenshot the information for it to spread beyond your ‘friends.’ Less info is best!”

There are many guidelines issued to protect your privacy and safety when posting photos on the internet and Facebook. Always disable location services and geotagging on your phones and applications before taking and uploading pictures. Prevent others from knowing your whereabouts. Always review and adjust your privacy settings to limit who can see your posts and profile information. Only connect with people you personally know and trust. Be cautious about what details are in the photo and its caption, as these can give away personal information to cybercriminals.

Work and live under the rule that anything placed on public media can be stolen and misused. The “bad” guys are there are on top of all the techniques to steal information no matter how hard you try to stop them. They are usually working full time to get information to sell or use phishing or scamming the unwary. Photos can be misused in many ways.

Plan a safe and fun school year for all your family and friends’ families.