Digital kidnapping

Not to be confused with identity theft, the use of another person's identity for personal advantage.

Digital kidnapping is the theft of a minor's photos, posing as them, or posing as their parents.^[1] DK is commonly done to reveal private or sensitive information that negatively impacts the child's life, making it difficult to gain acceptance to college, or subjecting them to bullying. In rare cases, a kidnapper may assume the identity of a parent, making the impostor's followers believe that they are the child's parent. By posing as a peer or authority figure, adults may also gather information about minors, and use it in real world crimes, such as kidnapping.^[2][3]

Punishment

In the United States, the act of reposting photos is legal, and does not lead to punishment. However the misappropriation of name or likeness is illegal, or can result in a lawsuit.^[4] In addition to this, it is illegal to publish private facts, such as addresses and birthdates, under the Publication of Private Facts law.^[5]

See also

• Sharenting
• Identity Theft
• Social Media
• Kidnapping

References

1. "The Growing Threat to Your Kids Online". ParentMap. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
2. Gallagher, Sean (2014-11-20). "12-year-old's online life brings an abductor to her doorstep". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2014-11-21. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
3. Samantha Murphy Kelly (15 May 2019). "Virtual kidnappings are rattling families across the US". CNN. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
4. "Using the Name or Likeness of Another | Digital Media Law Project". www.dmlp.org. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
5. "Publication of Private Facts | Digital Media Law Project". www.dmlp.org. Retrieved 2020-03-06.