What schools need to know about web scraping

Authorities are reporting an increase in incidents involving web scraping. These incidents particularly occur on social media and other websites that host publicly accessible data and content.

Web scraping allows public content to be collected at scale.

Risks for schools

Images can be collected by third parties that schools may not be able to see, identify or stop. Scraping images from social media or school websites creates privacy risks and potential harms for children and young people. The images may be:

• used
• misused
• manipulated and used for reasons that were not consented to

Considerations before posting images

Before posting any image online, consider:

• who will be able to see the image and how they could use it
• how to keep control of the image
• whether there is a better way to share the image than on a public site
• whether posting the image could expose a child or young person to any risks or make them vulnerable

Remember, any image publicly published can be copied, downloaded, screenshotted or shared by anyone. These images may be adapted and used inappropriately.

Risks of sharing images

Posting images on social media platforms and other websites can make a child more vulnerable. This is particularly the case if an image is shared alongside information such as personal details or location tags.

Posting images online can also impact on a child or young person's digital footprint. The potential risks of digital exposure can last a lifetime. Young people may not always be comfortable with how their images are portrayed, both now and in the future.

For further support on using social media schools should use the following guidance.

Further support

Support for learners and their families