Data Protection in a world of ‘Sharenting’

The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA) as Information Commissioner has launched a new public campaign that aims to focus on the prevalence of “sharenting” in Gibraltar.

Sharenting is the practice of parents (and/or guardians) publicising content about their child(ren) on social networking sites.

“When images or information about children are posted online, there is sometimes little understanding or regard to the fact that, in essence, a digital footprint is being created for the child(ren). This may have an impact on a child’s digital identity, privacy and even safety,” said a statement from the GRA.

The GRA stated it is committed to increasing awareness about the importance of privacy and the impact data protection may have in a person’s daily life, particularly in view of the highly networked and interconnected online world.

The emergence of digitalised services, and widespread dependency on the online environment, demand as much attention as the more conventional data processing activities that take place in an offline setting.

The Campaign’s launch includes an online multiple-choice survey targeting parents/guardians in Gibraltar, which will be followed by a series of infographics and an accompanying awareness-raising audio-visual.

The Survey consists of 15 questions, is fully anonymised and should take approximately five minutes to complete.

All published material, including the Survey, will be uploaded to the GRA’s website and shared on the GRA’s social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

The Survey can also be found here: https://forms.microsoft.com/r/6hccnDc83D.

“The Information Commissioner encourages the public to help raise awareness by viewing and sharing the social media posts. Parents and guardians are particularly encouraged to participate in this initiative by completing the Survey, which has been launched with the best interests of children in mind,” said the statement.

To conclude the Campaign, a report highlighting the Survey’s key findings, analysis and conclusions will be published on Data Protection Day 2023, which falls on January 28.

For further information, contact the GRA by telephone on +350 200 74636 or by email using privacy@gra.gi.