Profile Pics Should Remain Optional

Some websites are now requesting that users upload their photo in order to seem more credible. If these requests turned into a requirement, then there could be implications down the road.

Identity Theft

Thanks to technology, it is very easy to have your identity stolen these days. Most people do not like to think about this, or they decide that it can never happen to them. But it can happen to anyone. And if you decide to post your picture online, then you are making it just a little easier for someone to steal your identity. You also run the risk of someone impersonating you online. Perhaps, instead of stealing any money or credit from you directly, the individual in question just uses your image in place of their own. Or perhaps the person in question will Photoshop you doing something nefarious. The list goes on and on.

Privacy Still Matters to Some

Many individuals still want to at least have some control over their privacy; thus, by implementing a policy where people are required to submit a photo of themselves for a particular website, you might not receive the level of cooperation you were hoping for. In fact, many of your viewers may simply opt to leave and go elsewhere. This leads to a loss of income and a bad reputation.

People Lie

And now we come to another conundrum. Who is to say that the picture is actually that person? You may see plenty of article websites these days that have a profile picture of some individual, but how do you know if it is really them? The answer is you do not know, and you probably never will. It is the same as people having a fake ID card. If you try to make profile pictures mandatory, then some people will simply pretend to be compliant. So what then? You could require that these individuals upload their driver's license photo, but like it was just stated above, they will simply submit a fake one.

Bullying and Teasing

Unfortunately, kids and young adults may not think about their privacy. So anything they write or say online may be tracked back to the so called "real world" if they have uploaded a photo of themselves. Then they go to school, and are harassed or bullied. Or perhaps they receive nasty emails from people who disapprove of whatever they have written.

Websites should always refrain from forcing people to submit their profile pictures online. Ultimately, it should be the user who decides to upload their profile picture and no one else.