芬兰家长用 AI 去除学校照片水印

Some parents are using AI tools to strip watermarks from their kids' school photos.

• Yle News

5.10. 15:14

It's that time of year again: the school semester is underway, and many kids have already had their annual photo day.

But this year, there's a twist. Some parents in Finland are feeding preview images of their kids' portraits into AI tools to wipe away the copyright text.

As some families debate the issue on social media, the Finnish school photographers' association said it has learned of isolated cases where photos have been used without permission.

That means the photographer does not get paid for their work.

According to the association's vice chair, Outi Simström, there is a common misunderstanding about the sector's earnings model.

"A photographer is not paid by the school or daycare for coming in and photographing the children. The entrepreneur's income comes from families voluntarily buying the pictures they want," Simström said.

50-year copyright

Photographs have at least 50 years of protection under related rights, said Emilia Hodge, a specialist in intellectual property law.

As a general rule, photographs may not be copied or published without the photographer's permission. If a photograph qualifies as a copyright-protected work, the protection lasts considerably longer.

Simström also warns parents about the risks of using AI.

"When we're talking about a picture of a person, and especially a minor, it's material and personal data of a kind that I would always recommend thinking carefully about which external digital service you upload these images to. Afterwards, they can't easily be removed."

Using photographs without permission is hardly a new phenomenon, according to Mikko Säteri of Finnfoto, the umbrella organisation for Finland's photography associations.

For around a decade, parents have captured pictures by removing watermarks with various tools and software. AI, however, has added a new dimension to the practice.

"AI can enlarge an image file enough to make a printable copy from it," he explained.

Säteri said photography businesses are now having to develop new ways to protect their images and track down those used without permission.

School photography is a Finnish tradition going back 160 years. But Säteri said he is now concerned about whether these businesses can survive in the age of AI.

School snaps feature prominently in Säteri's own home, as they do in many others.

"I think it's wonderful to see photographs of my daughters from different periods lined up on the fridge."