Parents finding unauthorized photos of their kids on talent site - WFSB 3 Connecticut
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More parents have started coming forward after finding unauthorized pictures of their children on a talent agency's website.
Channel 3 Eyewitness News first brought you the story when a shocked mother came to us for help after a picture of her daughter showed up on the Explore Talent website without her permission.
The Fancher family said they were surprised to see a family photograph from Christmas taken more than three years ago front and center on the Explore Talent website.
"When I saw the report, when another woman, she Googled her daughter's name and it came up as a talent agency got her daughter's picture," Noreen Fancher said. "So I said, 'let me Google my children.' Which I did. And to my shock, my middle daughter was found on their website."
Fancher's daughter Christin recognized the picture as one she posted on Facebook. The family thinks the talent agency snagged the photo right off her Facebook page.
"I'm disgusted that my daughter's picture could be put out there without any parental permission," she said.
Last week Eyewitness News told you about Fay Flynn, who found her 10-year-old daughter's picture on the site.
"My daughter Googled her name and came across her picture," Flynn said. "If I Google her, her picture comes up and brings me to a website that has her age, height and all types of information."
In both cases, the families said their daughters never contacted a talent agency.
Fancher's parents said she is not interested in modeling or acting, and has never pursued any talent agencies.
They said they called Explore Talent and asked them to immediately remove her photo and information.
Explore Talent did take the picture down, but the information can remain on servers for an additional 45 days.
A spokesperson denied the claims they lifted the photos from Facebook and said, "We have high demand to fulfill positions. We do not need inactive talents. We are the biggest. We definitely have no motive to steal data."
Explore Talent said the profile was created on Aug. 4, 2010 and they don't have a record of who made it, but the Fanchers said it wasn't their daughter.
"I have looked on Google before for my children," said Chris Fancher. "But this, when I saw your report I looked again, and there it was. So this happened within the past six months that they did it."
The Fanchers said they're encouraging other parents to search different search engines.
"You have to be your child's advocate," Chris Fancher said. "They're no one else that will do it."
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