It’s what the title says, i don’t want to be posted on fricking instagram and my school didn’t ask for anyone’s consent. It’s not just one, it’s severeal. How can i make instagram remove them? Thank you for your help

edit 1: thanks for the heads up, especially for the ones who seem truly interested to help me in this matter. So what i did till now is to send an email to my school collaborator (which is a scholastic figure who is responsible for the management of the school in general) requesting the deletion of the images depicting myself.

This is the complete request translated in english: Hi, I saw that recently several photos have been posted by the school account on instagram that depict me. I kindly request the removal of the aforementioned photos, since I have not given consent (or if given, withdraw such consent) to the publication of my image online on accounts not controlled and managed by me. I explicitly ask you to avoid “censoring” my image, but to commit to deleting the photos in which I am present, in order to avoid any kind of retaliation against me. Please let me know if there is anything else I should do to complete this process, thanks for your cooperation.

I’ve also tried to let instagram delete these images through this link but i don’t know if it was successful or not because i gave them an email as contact info but i didn’t receive anything yet.

I’ll let you know how this ends Update: Today, during class hours, I was summoned by the principal to their office. They wanted to discuss with me the content of that email, specifically they asked me directly severeal things. They asked me if i was in any kind of “danger”, since i wrote, in their opinion, a sentence that could be interpreted as a sort of announcement of possible danger on my side. They were referring to this sentence contained in the email: “…in order to avoid any kind of retaliation against me.”. I replied to them that i was merely referring to possible social judgment that could come from my classmates and/or erasmus participants after seeing my face censored or any photo deleted on any school social account.

They asked me the reason why i wanted those photos to be deleted, to which i replied that i didn’t enjoy the idea of having my likeness shown in social accounts that i don’t own and don’t have access to (they even posted me on facebook by the way).

So, that mocking removed of a principal, replied to me saying that apparently my dad did sign the privacy waiver back when he enrolled me to my school so basically i have no right to request the deletion of the photos and neither having my face censored because, since i’m a minor, my dad signed it. I then asked them if it was possible to withdraw such consent, and they replied that it was possible but my parents are in charge of it, not me. They then warned me about having called my parents asking, prior to our meeting, if they remember signing the waiver, to which they replied “yes” (but of course when i advancely asked them if they remember signing anything, they said idk/i don’t remember) but not only that, they even said that my parents weren’t willing to withdraw any consent regarding my image usage nor any privacy related clauses (thanks mom, thanks dad, as always).

Set apart the mockings about how this request of mine was only a fixation and that there could not be any kind of social retaliation against me because students won’t give a damn about why my face was censored (which is a good things, except that it’s not how it works here) and they instead focus on studying (biggest lie i’ve eve heard, my school sucks ass when it comes to having committed students, no coincidence that i was the only one able to speak english among the erasmus participants) and that i should do it too instead of thinking about these things… set apart that, since i was exhausted i said fine, i’ll be waiting till i’m 18 years old and then you’ll remove those images. They basically said (NUH UH) that they’re not going to delete any photo since the purpose of erasmuses, as a European initiative, is to disseminate, which means publicize this initiative and that the best they can do is to “censor” my face. I replied to them that it was their choice, and not this kind of erasmus purpose, to not commit deleting the images in which i was present. I said whatever, as long as my face is censored, i can sleep well at night but they said that they are gonna censor me as the law requires… great, what does it mean? It means that they’re just gonna be putting a black bar to cover my eyes. Oh that’s awesome, haha facebook, got you there, i’m unrecognizable now!

So what can i do now? My last resorts are either to convince my parents to withdraw such consent or to continue emailing instagram about deleting the photos in which my face is shown. Instagram in the end did respond to my request but, they were asking me the exact position and description of me in the photo, so that they can verify that i am indeed in that photo (how exactly? I don’t know since i could be faking it). Isn’t that like telling facebook who i am , which is exactly the contrary to the purpose of my request? What are your opinions about this?

  • Gush@lemmy.mlOP
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    1 year ago

    If i do that i’ll probably be targeted by the school staff and the people in that photo as an idiot that is scared to show his faces on photos, and if i explain that it’s a matter of privacy then i’d probably look weirder. My school probably won’t cooperate

    • Rand0mA@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Well do you want privacy or not? Get over yourself. What do you care what they think? As a school they should have a list of who they can and can’t use in photos. It’s actually a fucking nightmare for any marketing staff but that’s part of their job. They need to respond to it. Unless you’re American… then your rights are imaginary. Suck it up and smile

      • Duranie@lemmy.film
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        1 year ago

        American here - it could be different in other states, but as a parent every year at the beginning of the school year I had to sign a specific form during registration stating whether or not I would permit my child’s photo be taken/published. Yes, it’s going to be a nightmare to track, but the school shouldn’t want the headache of the fall out for not pulling a photo.

    • sturlabragason@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I’m not sure that’s the case. Just take some time to write a simple email:

      *Hi

      It seems you’ve uploaded some photos of me on Instagram. Please remove them.

      Best OP *

      Doesn’t have to be dramatic.

      • ddh@lemmy.sdf.org
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        1 year ago

        Ease up, they’re still in school and just want the pictures removed without unduly annoying a big authority in their life.

        • Gush@lemmy.mlOP
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          1 year ago

          And without kicking myself in the nuts in the process. I don’t want to become anyone’s target, they are all assholes here

    • Mario_Dies.wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      I used to teach high school and have an advanced administrative degree. I highly doubt any school staff would think less of you for this, unless they’re exceptionally shitty people. I hosted some activities where pictures were taken, and if a student had returned later and requested one or more of them be taken down, I would have complied with no questions asked, even if consent had previously been granted by the student/their guardians.

      While it’s true that there are some awful teachers and administrators, the vast majority wouldn’t have a problem granting a simple request like this.

        • Mario_Dies.wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 year ago

          I hope so too. Since it’s the weekend, I’d try emailing whoever is in charge right now for your own peace of mind. I’m almost 100% sure they’ll take them down, no questions asked.

        • pazukaza@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          People downvoting you clearly don’t know that school administration can be into bullying as much as the kids. Talking by experience. I think you can report the images in Instagram by saying you’re in them and don’t want to be.

          • Gush@lemmy.mlOP
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            1 year ago

            Already did that and i’m waiting… i gave them my email but i received nothing in my inbox yet

    • 520@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Control of one’s image is pretty important these days, even to teenagers. And the school should not be posting identifiable pictures of its students without consent.

      • Gush@lemmy.mlOP
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        1 year ago

        The thing is that these photos are from sort of a school event (it’s called “erasmus” idk how to translate it or if the term is already known outside of my country), and i’m in all of them. I don’t think they’d be willing to remove them because of me. The school’s interest by posting that was to attract more people that may be willing to join the school next year. I don’t think they will comply at all, and no, i didn’t sign anything and i’m 100% sure they don’t have my consent

        • 520@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          So since you mention Erasmus, I’m guessing you’re in the EU.

          For those unaware, Erasmus is an EU-wide foreign exchange program for students at university level ^see ^edit

          If you didn’t sign a waiver and request to be removed from their IG, they will comply. It’s literally illegal for them not to. As you’re legally an adult, permission from parents doesn’t mean shit.

          It’s not even that big a deal for them. They can just use photos you aren’t even in, or crop you out of ones where you’re on the edge.

          Don’t be afraid to stand up for your basic rights. There might be others that feel pressured just like you do. I had to do something very similar during my time at uni. I can tell you now, everyone respects, and no one fucks with, someone who can and will hit back.

          EDIT. Correction: Erasmus was once university-only. It has since been opened up to secondary schoolers.

          • Gush@lemmy.mlOP
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            1 year ago

            Great, thanks for the answer. But i need to make some sort of official request in order to be taken seriously, do i have to quote some specific GDPR laws in the email? I don’t want to ask it nicely and then wait for a response that goes “What ? Oh no, we can’t do that, you were part of the project of the school and the photos can’t be removed because it’s very important for the school to bla bla bla bla…”

            • 520@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              The exact law you’ll want to quote depends on the exact country you reside in. GDPR itself is not a law, but an EU directive saying that all member nations have to put a law in their books with these specific conditions. So there’ll be a law in your country that has these clauses but might not be called GDPR.

              • Gush@lemmy.mlOP
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                1 year ago

                Well but i can always rely on GDPR, right? I don’t know about any specific laws here in italy

                • DeserticDesert@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  You can quote GDPR directly, I do it all the time and the French regulator (CNIL) does it too. The member state’s backing law is an implementation detail.

                  I recommend asking informally first. If that does not work, you can remind them of their obligations under GDPR. If you have not given consent for this, you can mention their processing is unlawful under article 6 of GDPR, which specifies a list of valid basis for the processing of personal data (typically getting direct consent). You will have to check you did not previously give consent to this processing, however. In any case, if you did, you are allowed to retract it at no conditions.

                  My experience of fighting companies on GDPR grounds is that they often come up with bullshit about “legitimate interest” (article 6 point f) to pretend they are using a legitimate basis. I don’t expect it would be necessary but if you want to have a stronger legal claim, you can instead claim that their processing is unlawful under article 9, as a photograph is personal data revealing ethnic/racial origin. One caveat: if you gave them consent for this, this does not apply.

                  In any case, even if you have given previous consent, you can withdraw the consent and request that your personal data is erased under article 17 point 1b. Because they made it public, they will have to also remove it from public places to the extent of what is possible (article 17 point 2). This would typically mean that they have to remove it from Instagram also.

                  • Gush@lemmy.mlOP
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                    1 year ago

                    That’s very useful. Thank you for the explanation and your time spent making this comment. If they come up with some shit, i’ll definetly tell them the articles you stated

                • 520@kbin.social
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                  1 year ago

                  Shouldn’t be too hard to Google. Also there might be other laws on your side

        • McJonalds@lemmy.world
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          Are your parents cool? If this happened to my kid and the school wouldn’t comply in removing them, I’d be raising a fucking storm. You could ask them for help, ask a lawyer, talk to the school, a teacher you trust or the principal, lie if you have to (my parents told me if this didn’t work, they would ask a lawyer for me, etc.) This is really uncool and I’d like to help.

          • Gush@lemmy.mlOP
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            1 year ago

            My parents would probably not care, and not be willing to “”“waste”“” money on a lawyer for this. I can ask my uncle tho, he’s a lawyer

            • steersman2484@sh.itjust.works
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              1 year ago

              I would not go the route of getting a lawyer at this stage.

              As others have pointed out, contacting your school is probably the best way. Also talk to your parents and your uncle.

        • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
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          1 year ago

          They must comply, you can tell “buongiorno ho notato che sono presente in tutte le foto dell’evento, ma non ho mai firmato la liberatoria della privacy, è possibile oscurare il mio volto? Grazie”

          So, unless your parents signed the form, they must comply, they will delete the pictures and upload new ones with your face censored. But yes, people will notice that the photos will be removed and your face censored, so you might be targeted as “that asshole that forced the school to delete the gallery”

          • Gush@lemmy.mlOP
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            1 year ago

            Yeah huuh… that’s the problem. I’ll see what i can do about it. These fuckers bruh

    • fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com
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      1 year ago

      Previous marketer here. They likely chose photos that work well but have zero sentimental rational, they’re just doing a job. If you send a respectful email, they may be annoyed at the request but will probably be apologetic. Just be clear that for your own personal reasons you stay off social media sites and you would prefer to be removed. Don’t sweat too much, you’ll be fine.

    • Happenchance@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      In your mind you have already been targetted by having your image somewhere you don’t want it.

      Start by DMing the schools account and request that the following images be removed because they contain your likeness. Link the photos.

      The school doesn’t need to make a big stink or even ask you why you don’t want to be seen online, it’s literally none of their business.

      Whether they choose to respect your privacy is another story.

      Should they fail to remove the photos, move on:

      Contact the school administration office and ask that you would like to make a complaint about images posted on the Schools Instagram Account. When they ask why, explain that you would like x number of images removed because they contain your likeness. If they ask why further, explain that you do not want images of yourself online that you yourself do not control. End of story.

      They can agree, or not, but I’m sure this would be better than going legal on them.

    • theparadox@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      My local public school district takes student privacy seriously. They make an effort to track which students they have consent to feature in any media in order to avoid this and, as a district policy, ask for consent every school year to make sure consent doesn’t change.

      Assuming you are a minor in the US.I would be very surprised if you or your guardians ask for your photos to be removed and the school didn’t cooperate.

      • Gush@lemmy.mlOP
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        1 year ago

        Not in my school (italy), nobody gives a fuck about privacy. Shitheads be buying an iphone 15 just for social status, yet they can’t even spell one word of english without stuttering

        • Thisfox@sopuli.xyz
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          1 year ago

          It has nothing to do with other students though. The school itself is the one with the policy due to the laws surrounding the issue. The students are a whole different situation.

    • /home/pineapplelover@lemm.ee
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      If they don’t agree to take it down tell them you don’t consent to it or something and you’ll get more involved in taking it down. Letting them know because of privacy will make it become more normalized. If more of your friends who were posted without their consent spoke up about it, this could be a serious issue and maybe they’ll even use pixelfed one day. It’s a long shot but little things like this will bring awareness to people.

      For example, over the past few years I’ve been just living my life on a linux computer, grapheneos phone, using foss and encrypted messengers. My friends and family questioned it and I explained to them and a couple them now wanted to get started on this privacy journey. They’ll probably get their family and friends to take notice and explain it to them too, then, it’s a whole movement now.

      • JonEFive@midwest.social
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        1 year ago

        Android is probably my biggest privacy hole right now. I’ve considered alternatives but none of them particularly appeal to me. I moved away from Gmail, Google Voice, Chrome/chromium, deleted Facebook, etc… But android has some deep tendrils.

        What’s your take on Graphene?

        • /home/pineapplelover@lemm.ee
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          Graphene is as good as it can get when it comes to privacy and security. You get lots of control over what apps can have permission to do like accelerometer sensors in addition to all the other controls regular phones get. It’s more stable than the last time I used calyxos. If I show my phone to people they see it as a regular Android phone and wouldn’t think twice about it. You can download apps through aurora store or google play store if you wish and there’s some kind of segmentation done if you choose to download from the latter.

          Their website is good if you wish more information. https://grapheneos.org

      • Gush@lemmy.mlOP
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        1 year ago

        I will definetly not back down. Your comment and many others helped me understand how important it is for me to stand up for myself in these kind of matters