Phone Company Raises Awareness on Dangers of Parents Oversharing Their Children’s Photos Online
Social Media is both a boon and a bane for people. It has steadily become a good form of income source for individuals, but at the same time, it is giving rise to various concerning cyber crimes. Cyber crimes are the focus of the advertisement uploaded by German telecommunications firm Deutsche Telekom for its campaign titled "Share With Care" as reported by Muse. The main objective of the video is to convince parents to stop their habit of oversharing their children's pictures.
This video was created with the intention of warning parents about the consequences they might face because of "sharenting". The video begins with Ella's parents going into the theater where they are welcomed with a video of their daughter. The catch in the situation was that it was Ella digitally aged due to AI. Ella addresses them by saying "Hey Mom and Dad, look, it's future me, isn't technology neat? Here are all the ways it's not."
Ella then goes on to explain the various issues that she, as their child, might have to face because of them sharing her pictures on social media. She lists things like her picture being used for identity theft, which could land her in prison for things that she would never do, or her voice being used to dupe them for things like extortion. The video also brings to mind that the photos that are memories for parents could become a meme leading to their children being horribly bullied or being used for child pornography.
Uli Klenke, chief brand officer of Deutsche Telekom states the reasoning behind this campaign by saying "Telekom offers the best and most secure network. But in addition to access to this network, we also need the necessary knowledge and tools for safe and responsible handling of data on the Internet. Because the development of artificial intelligence holds opportunities and risks. In the spot, we let the AI warn us about itself. And thus, underline fascination and awe at the same time. We have to learn to deal with both factors appropriately."
The advancement of AI and the reach of social media have led to the possibility of many such cases. There has been news of a forthcoming Beatles album with the AI-generated voice of John Lennon, as per the BBC. Though this is a piece of joyful news for the Beatles fans, it also shows the scope of AI and how it can make a dead person's voice come alive and, at the same time, attack vulnerable populations like small children. Parents believe that social media gives them a heads-up, but as the video shows, it can also cause many harmful outcomes.
The comment section was divided. Many people believed that it was a noble attempt to warn parents, but for many, it was a step too far. @ashwiniib9633 appreciated the effort and commented, "A really needed information for all. Thank you for sharing with the world." @francoissnyman4532 pointed out the flaws in the campaign and wrote, "Point taken, but there are a few logical problems here. Firstly, the porn thing can be done with any photo, not only those posted by her parents. Are we then not to allow our children to go out at all? There are loads of people taking photos at beaches and malls and at tourist attractions. Secondly, the premise is put forward that current law enforcement methodology will be used in a post-AI world, which is obviously not the case. What is proposed here is for us to retract ourselves from the digital realm instead of countering the digital dangers as we do with the physical ones. Notwithstanding the deep emotional impact of the video, I, unfortunately, categorize this work as Luddite."