With modern children having a 'substantial' online presence long before they themselves engage with the online world, this problem is growing.
Professor Maple said: “Parents are unwittingly opening their children up to possible exploitation by criminals who want to use their data for their own purposes.
“It takes just 20 images for sophisticated AI tools to create a realistic profile of someone, or even a 30- second video.
“But it’s not just images that can be used, social media posts also reveal sensitive information such as location data and key life moments, that can effectively be used to create an online profile for children long before they’re old enough to consent to it.
“Oversharing by parents can lead to numerous problems for the child in the future, including digital records that can be extremely difficult and painful to remove, leading to mental anguish, negative reputations and harm to others.”
According to new research of 2,000 parents with children under 16 in the UK, which was commissioned by Swiss privacy and security company behind Proton Mail and Proton VPN, 'the nation’s mums and dads upload an average of 63 photos every month to social media – a huge (59%) of these include family photos. One in five (21%) upload pictures of their family multiple times a week, with two in five (38%) several times a month."
Professor Maple also warned that “it’s not just criminal gangs who can use the data”, Big Tech companies also use images posted on their platforms for their own agendas.
Professor Maple continues: “Big tech companies frequently use consumer data for their own devices – whether it be creating advertising profiles for targeted marketing, selling data to third parties, analysing photo content, trends, and usage patterns, as well as date and location. They can build up an incredibly detailed profile which includes lots of sensitive information. The implications of where it could end up and how it is used are incredibly far-reaching and can have negative consequences if used inappropriately.”
And according to Professor Maple many of our favourite cloud storage services such as Google Drive and Photos use personal information in ways that many parents are unaware of.
Over half (56 percent) of the parents surveyed say their family photos are continuously uploaded to cloud storage, leaving them with an estimated 185 photos of their children on their phone and cloud.
When asked about what information they think tech companies can access, almost half (48 percent) had no idea that data from pictures stored on a cloud can be accessed and used by the companies that hold them. This is despite 72% of parents saying it is really important for them that their photos remain private..
Professor Maple, who has commented on the insights, said: “Not securing children's data not only opens the door for identity theft and fraud but also exposes them to more sinister forms of extortion and exploitation, and with the rise of digital data sharing and data breaches, the need for stronger protections has never been more pressing.”
The research also found that 28 percent didn’t know that the rising number of data breaches is putting adults and children at greater risk of fraud, identity theft, and exploitation than ever before.
Top tips to keep your childrens data secure from Professor Maple Carsten:
Think about what you are sharing - It just takes a few personal details to be leaked, or carelessly shared on social media to be exploited by criminals. Whether it be photos of important milestones such as birthday parties, your child’s first day at school, or mundane information including daily routines, it takes surprisingly little to start to build your child’s digital footprint. It might seem innocent, but the fallout could have terrible consequences, so think twice before you share it.
Ensure your personal moments are held using secure storage - Personal storage, such as using Albums in Proton Drive, is a fantastic and secure alternative to cloud storage, using end-to-end encryption with a company that you know will not use or share your data. Always read the small print to make sure the product you use is encrypted to safeguard against criminals, as well as not giving third parties access to your information.
Read the small print and set your privacy and security settings – Children's data, such as photos, videos, or personal information, can be harvested from unsecured devices, online games, or social media platforms so edit privacy and security settings immediately after your child creates an account. As well as big tech using data from their profiles, they could be vulnerable to hacking and scammers. Criminals could try to create fake bank accounts in their name once they turn 18, befriend them for financial or social manipulation, or craft highly personalized scams based on their online history like friends and hobbies.
Be aware of phishing scams - teach your child not to open emails, texts, or attachments from people or businesses they don't know and make sure you remain vigilant. In 2020, a gang in the UK was arrested for running a scam that targeted parents of children. They used publicly available information to craft convincing messages pretending to be their child's school, requesting money for supposed school activities or medical emergencies. Another sent fake notices about parent-teacher conferences or unpaid school fees, which contained links that stole parents' financial details.
Be aware of free public Wi-Fi - Remind your child that using free public Wi-Fi can put their personal information at risk.
Set clear ground rules - Have conversations with your child about their online data and privacy and what might constitute as sensitive information. This includes photos, profile information as well as public comments and even direct messages.
Use parental controls - Set parental controls on devices, apps, and games.
Use filters in search engines - Use filters in search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing to limit what your child sees online and where they might be overexposing their data.
Use antivirus software - Install antivirus software on your devices to protect against malware as this could provide an open door to fraud and scammers.
Model healthy online habits - Be mindful of your own online behaviour and how you can set a positive example.