Now we are in a new age. Not only mass media can tell information, but everyone can know information and can send or tell opinion or feeling to social by Social Networking Service (SNS). There are a lot of SNS such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.. There is data which says 40% of worldwide people are using those Social media regularly. The popular function of those SNS is to upload pictures to SNS easily.  Mostly they upload a picture of themselves or other people. This is the important part that we have to care because pictures (or video) can say a lot about someone who is in pictures. And once you upload pictures on SNS, pictures will be spread worldwide so everyone can see it. That is a problem! There are some people who dislike or hate that their faces are online and spread out worldwide. So there is a right which is justified by low. It is called ”Portrait Right”. I think this special right can protect us and not block freedom of speech.

In Japan, and the USA or other country ar supporting a right of protecting your own privacy. Mostly it includes a Portrait Right. It is the right that no one can take your picture, draw your picture, upload to online without your permission. This right is made because of your privacy which means your profile and appearance is kind of your property and it must not be stolen or used for other’s profit. So you will be protected from the case that your picture is on the website that you don’t know or you hate. It definitely makes your reputation safety, isn’t it? 

Even some people think that portrait right is bad because they cannot enjoy SNS with pictures and videos. but I think this right is not the thing that restraint an activity on SNS. You can ask them who is in your picture whether they are OK with that they are in your picture. That’s it. Or how about if you took your selfie picture but somebody else is in your picture accidentally? The answer is in court. when the judge decides that picture or videos are violating the portrait right of someone or not, the judge loo social effects and consequence of him, as well as the action of him in pictures, place, the purpose of taking that picture, picture’s quality and necessity of picture, very carefully. So it doesn’t always block to enjoyable of SNS with pictures.

Here is a case that is judged that invite the portrait right. A man took a woman’s picture and upload it on Bulletin Board System(BBS kind of SNS) but she doesn’t know about it. When she notice that her picture is on website,the picture is already released.She was wearing a clothes which has sign said “Sex” at the chest.You can imagine how people think about her when they saw her on BBS.She sent it to court.The court said “This picture definitely damaged her social status. So her Portrait privacy is finally protected. So I can say that Portrait right is great protection for your social consequences.

There are country that doesn’t have Portrait right. Maybe it is because of culture or personality of citizen. I think every country must have this low. Because the world is changing to be one by the development of technology. For conclusion, all of us should know the risk of spreading your or other’s information. The portrait right can protect you from your case that your appearance is used or released without your permission.