Anne van Alkemade

Privacy gone mad

For Robyn’s fifth birthday I bought her a digital camera. Then on Sunday we took her to the zoo where she took stacks of photos.

I forgot her camera was in her bag so it went with her to creche today. When I dropped her off she was happily taking photos of the kinder room and other kids along with a couple of the childcare centre staff – who were also taking photos of Robyn taking photos of them.

But when I picked Robyn up, a different carer was there, who informed me she had deleted everything off Robyn’s camera because Robyn shouldn’t be taking pictures of other kids without the parents’ permission. Apart from the fact that she didn’t trust me to do it!!!! she also deleted all Robyn’s zoo pictures.

What I just don’t understand is why it’s okay for me to take photos of the kids for the newspaper (which I do regularly), staff can take photos of the kids for their own uses, I also take photos of the kids at play and put proofs up in the foyer for people to buy, but my 5yo couldn’t take photos for her own album?????

You would think since I’d been taking Robyn to this creche for almost 5 years, staff would have trusted me to do the right thing and delete the creche pix off her camera.

Unbelievable. Just really ridiculous.
Robyns photo taking is supposed to be a part of her developmental therapy (she has global development delay and one of the things we’re working on is teaching her to understand the concepts of ‘past’ eg “what did you do yesterday?”.)

I’m fired up now for a serve tomorrow with the owners of the place.
Just beside myself right now. Soooo angry.

Danny, 3 months ago

A punch in the face was in order I think
no excuse for deleting images owned by you
She should of ask edfor the recent ones to be deleted in your presence on your approval
Find a new creche
Michael Alesich, 3 months ago

So you should be.

She should have waited. Taking her camera from her and deleting them is highly unethical. I hope Robyn wasn’t phased by it and is back taking more photos now.
kathleen, 3 months ago

i feel for you Anne… especially when the memories of the zoo and her personal space have been compromised… i encountered this when liv was in pre-school… child care seem to be HEAPS more conscious of it than school, we have to sign papers and release forms for them at childcare and there is a form for us to sign at enrollment for school to allow the school to take the photos but school seems ok with parents taking photos of assembly and choir performances without getting permission from individual parents, and yet at pre-school the way the teacher dealt with it was to scream out to the assembly of parents and kids “do you give permission for your children to be photographed’ and those present yelled yes… but that only accounted for the people there… this situation though, I would expect that they at least made YOU delete them in their presence if they didn’t trust you to do it at home… to have wiped the whole lot without finding out the situation is pretty unprofessional communication in my opinion.
Anne van Alkemade in reply to Danny’s comment, 3 months ago

thanks Danny – punch in the face is in order, but new creche, probably not. Not after all this time – Robyn knows the carers and there is one there in particular she loves like a second mum (and soon to marry into my family). She’ll be at school next year (hopefully). But what the fuck did she think she was doing? Stupid stupid woman.
Anne van Alkemade in reply to Michael Alesich’s comment, 3 months ago

thankfully Robyn is unaware – and I took photos at the zoo too, so I might be able to substitute some. But I know!!!!
Anne van Alkemade in reply to kathleen’s comment, 3 months ago

the thing is, Kathleen, the parents sign a form at the start of the year for permission to have photos taken, which is why I am able to take them for the newspaper – eg when they have special events or whatever. And my surplus are available to parents to buy. Who on earth is it hurting if my daughter takes a stack of out of focus pix – the bulk of the photos were of paintings, staff and the playground equipment taken through the window. There were some of the kids too. I will be making it clear that what she did was entirely unethical and I wont be taking photos at the creche for awhile. See how they like not getting the free publicity they had been getting!!! Especially when the competition here with three creches for a relatively small town is so fierce!
Gregoryno6, 3 months ago

That sounds like the perfect solution. Stick it up them hard.
That carer went well over the line deleting your own images.
Darren Stones, 3 months ago

Deleting the photos without your approval is a big no-no, Anne. You know that as well as I do.

Try and play it cool, calm and collected, but with obvious intent to seek some form of compensation. At the very least a Family Pass to zoo.
jemimalovesbigted, 3 months ago

I agree with no6, what a tool! she had no right to do anything of the sort. the problem these days is that everyone is on such high alert – especially with kids that everyone tends to go completely overboard with their reactions and actions. My partner is a teacher and without his realising it he spouts all this extreme bullshit when it comes to children especially in regards to photographing, because he has been brainwashed into behaving a certain way.

An example – I live in a really lovely neighbourhood where everyone knows everyone and its really quiet. I was going to take photos on the street of all the kids playing for a uni project. I was going to ask parents first, but as soon as I mentioned it, my other half physically stiffen up and say no way, don’t go there. Now normally he is not like that at all but in these times he has grown accustomed to treading that ever so tight and thin line that is set in place to “protect our children”

Anyway, I really hope you stick it up her, and perhaps she will be one who comes out of it with a bit more of an open mind!
nofrillsart, 3 months ago

Anne…ignoring the ethical side of this for a moment there are heaps of file recovery freeware programs online. If you haven’t taken more pictures with the camera already…you can use one of these to get them back! ;-)
Personally i know this is a touchy issue to some…not me personally, but at the very least you could get your zoo shots back. Ha!
Anne van Alkemade in reply to nofrillsart’s comment, 3 months ago

I’ll look into that Nofrills. Thanks for the heads up!
Anne van Alkemade in reply to Darren Stones’s comment, 3 months ago

I’ll be cool Darren. I still have to put Robyn up there and I don’t want anyone picking on her because of her mad mother (not that they would). But I am going to make my feelings on the whole thing well understood – especially as they didn’t trust me to do as they asked!!!! Knee jerker.
Anne van Alkemade in reply to jemimalovesbigted’s comment, 3 months ago

It’s crazy isn’t it Jemima. Especially when there is absolutely no intent involved and no lack of trust that we will do the right thing. It will get to the point that cameras will be banned from public places or you will need a licence to shoot!
Juilee P Pryor, 3 months ago

this is over the top….. and its every where…. I got a message from RB central yesterday that someone had complained about my work…. all those naked landscapes….. and about nine pictures had been put under the worksafe filter…. I was suprised but Ok whatever…. funny thing is this and this and a few others….nine in all are too rique for people but this
is OK…. whatever…....

can’t believe that person deleted your kids pictures without talking to you first…. over the top…
Chris White, 3 months ago

The only people who have had their their privacy invaded here Anne are you and Robyn. The camera, and the images in it, are your property.
Anne van Alkemade in reply to Juilee P Pryor’s comment, 3 months ago

That’s unbelievable Juilee. They are great pictures! And I see nothing lude or rude about them. Ridiculous. Maybe LVs?
Anne van Alkemade in reply to Chris White’s comment, 3 months ago

That’s how I felt about it Chris … t
Juilee P Pryor, 3 months ago

no idea at all Anne…. I was really suprised…. they have been up for ages and ages and I’d basically forgotten about them ….. but to have nine pictures singled out is like…. oh oh someones got the big boots out for me…. I don’t really do violence or sexually gratious stuff so I don’t know…. I was really suprised to be honest… especially when you take into account some of the really dubious stuff that pops up here…... oh well…..
David Stuart, 3 months ago

Bloody worlds gone mad Anne!! She had no right to do this and clearly overstepped the mark and her perceived level of authority . Again it’s the sad minority dictating terms.
Anne van Alkemade in reply to David Stuart’s comment, 3 months ago

Thanks David. Her manager apologised to me this morning and agreed it was poorly handled. :o)
kseriphyn, 3 months ago

That carer actually trespassed on someone’s personal property in my book. She should be reprimanded. That’s plan stupid.
Mel Brackstone, 3 months ago

You can retrieve the photos, even if the card has been formatted. There are free programs online to do just that….even if it’s just to get the zoo photos back….I don’t have the proggy on this puter, but here’s a link to some free ones
Anne van Alkemade in reply to Mel Brackstone’s comment, 3 months ago

Thanks Mel.
Anything’s worth a shot!
Cathie Tranent, 3 months ago

I hope that carer got a good ream from the Manager ….. the camera was not her property and neither were the photographs therein.
Mel Brackstone, 3 months ago

You’re welcome! I actually bought one years ago, called badcopy, but downloaded a freebie that worked faster….can’t recall the name of it now, but it had doctor in the title somewhere….PC doctor or something…works a treat, but that was back when I was using 512Mb cards….I’d hate to have to retrieve something off an 8Gb card! erk!