Photo upload

[triggerfiish]

Hello,

A forum I have been a member of on this platform for a short amount of time is threatening to stop people posting unless they upload a profile picture of themselves (full face, no avatar permitted, etc)

Is that allowed?  It feels inherently dangerous to me and I'd be surprised if it's permitted under GDPR/other data laws.

Could someone from ProBoards take a look at this please?

Best wishes,

Trig.

[bigballofyarn]

You don't have to share a picture of your face on any ProBoards forum. If the admin has a preference that users' avatars be pictures of themselves, I would imagine it's okay for them to make that request. However, a user also has the right to decline that request. Note though that an admin can ban any user for any reason or even no reason at all. However, you are under no obligation to post your face online anywhere that makes you feel uncomfortable. I personally don't share pictures of myself online and would see myself to the door.

[Pete]

Trig, as a forum Admin for the past 7 years, it'd never cross my mind to demand that any of my members post anything let alone a photo of themselves. And I'd especially not threaten any of those folks for any reason.

IMO, there are those who are given authority, such as a Proboards forum Admin, who aren't qualified for that role & the authority that comes with it. In the manner that rather than treating folks with respect & behaving in a civil manner toward their members they become instead an overbearing dictator.

My suggestion to you would be to not comply with that threat & vote with you feet, so to speak, & walk away from that forum & search for another one that provides similar content. There's a long list of Proboards forums out there. You may want to take a look at that here.

[Scott]

triggerfiish -

Even though you did not post the forum URL (thank you for not posting in this case), I was able to see the forum in question and in the context of this particular forum, I can understand the reasons behind the request. (Personally I would take issue with this as well, but I do understand their position.)

In general, a forum may make a requirement that an avatar be the member's true image, and it is not a GDPR violation to do so, BUT it is solely your choice whether or not to comply.

I would recommend reaching out to the forum staff to explain your concerns and see if there might be some compromise that would satisfy both you and the forum.

[bigballofyarn]

Maybe they would be willing to accept a caricature of you instead. If they aren't checking people's IDs, who's to say that any avatar is anyone's true image anyway? I'm not suggesting you upload someone else's photo, but I am suggesting that a caricature could be a fair compromise. It can serve as an accurate depiction of you without being an actual picture of you.

[triggerfiish]

Thanks all I appreciate the respond and info. The moderators have rescinded the request so I think at this point it's all resolved. Surprised that the request would be made in the first place but there we go.

[bigballofyarn]

That's awesome. I wish you many happy moments on that forum.