Photo consent and member media

• Wide crowd, no single subject. At picket lines and rallies, a wide shot of backs and signs is often enough. Do not tag individuals or geotag the gate. If a face is clear enough to recognize, ask that person first.
• One member is the story. Spotlight graphics, quote cards with a face, and Reels need explicit consent and the checklist below.
• Filming inside the workplace. Check your CA and the employer’s policy first. Members on probation or in precarious jobs face a real risk of retaliation. Do not film them unless the member asks you to.
• Strike or discipline context. Take extra care. Management can use a solidarity photo as evidence against a member. Read the consent section of the Crisis comms guide before you post.

• Public rallies and picket lines. Use wide shots when no one person is the subject. Tell people you may post to the local’s page, and get a verbal yes before a close-up or any shot where a face is easy to recognize.
• Closed meetings and internal events. Announce at the start that photos may be taken. Point to a no-photo zone. Honour opt-outs without debate.
• High-risk workplaces and small shops. Get an explicit yes from each identifiable person before you post. Management can easily recognize people in a small group.

• Member spotlight. “We would like to feature you on the local Facebook page and maybe the website. You can say no or ask us to take it down anytime. Is that okay?”
• Start of meeting. “Photos may be taken for the local page. If you do not want to be in frame, sit in the no-photo corner or tell any officer.”
• Group photo. “We are posting this photo to the member group. Does anyone want to step out of the frame first?” Wait for each person to nod before you take it.
• Reels and Shorts. Use the same ask, and add: “This may include your voice and face on Instagram or YouTube.” The short-form video guide covers filming basics.

• Who consented. Write the member’s name (or member number, if your local uses numbers), the date, and which officer asked.
• Where it will appear. List every channel: Facebook, the website, a board PDF, or a Reel. Update the log if you post the photo somewhere else later.
• Verbal or written. A text or an email counts as written consent. If the yes was spoken, note that, for example “verbal yes at membership meeting.”
• Keep logs with officers. Keep the spreadsheet or notebook in the union’s hands. Do not keep it on the employer’s systems or in a public Google account tied to a work email address.

• Consent recorded. The member gave a written or verbal yes, and it is logged with the date and the officer’s name.
• Audience clear. The member knows which channels will see the image and that they can withdraw consent.
• No confidential context. The caption and background show no grievance details, medical information, or confidential bargaining information.
• Group photo check. Every identifiable person has said yes. If not, crop, blur, or pick another image.
• Minors and dependents. Follow local executive and union policy before you publish.
• Check the background. Badges, lanyards, and faces behind the subject count too. Crop them out or wait for a clear shot.
• Location off. Remove location tags before you publish. Do not film confidential casework or medical spaces.
• Takedown officer named. Members know which officer to text to have a photo removed. See the takedown section below.

• Same day. Delete or replace the post. If you need to keep a copy, archive it on an officer’s device. Do not leave old graphics in the group’s photo album.
• Every copy. Check each place you posted it: Facebook, Instagram, the main banner of the website, and the printed board.
• Note the withdrawal. Update the consent log so volunteers do not repost the same image next month.
• Thank the member. “It is down. Thank you for telling us.” Do not make the member feel guilty for asking.

• Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC). The IPC oversees Ontario’s provincial privacy laws, which cover the public sector and health care. Photo and video capture at work should be limited to what the task needs, with clear notice. The sources at the end of this guide explain the privacy principles behind that practice.
• Federal private-sector law (PIPEDA). The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is the federal private-sector privacy law. It covers commercial activity, and it covers employee information only in federally regulated workplaces such as banks, airlines, and telecoms. Ontario has no general privacy statute for other private-sector employees, and a local’s own member photos are usually outside PIPEDA. Treat meaningful consent as your union’s standard anyway, because a member can still be harmed and can still complain.
• Collective agreement. Posting and filming rules may be in your CA or in the employer’s policy. Check both before you film on the employer’s property.
• Strike and discipline. The risk is higher during a strike or a discipline case. Read this guide together with the Crisis comms guide. No solidarity photo is worth a member’s job.

1. 1. Before the event

   The steward uses the spotlight script. The member agrees to Facebook and the website. An officer logs the name, date, and channels in the consent notebook.

2. 2. At the rally

   Take wide shots during the speeches. Afterward, take the portrait away from the employer’s logos. The member reviews the photo on the phone.

3. 3. In Graphic Maker

   Upload the photo and complete the consent step. Export a PNG. A second officer reads the caption for confidential details.

4. 4. Publish

   Post to the group with alt text. Upload to the news section of the website. Do not add a location tag.

5. 5. If the member asks you to remove it

   The communications officer deletes both posts before the end of the day, updates the log, and confirms by text.

Pause on the consent step, go through the checklist once, name the takedown officers, and share the links to Comms Resources and the Privacy page. The same rules apply before you film a Reel. See the short-form video guide.

• Graphic Maker. It asks you to confirm consent when you upload a member photo, before you export.
• Short-form video guide. This guide covers filming and privacy for Reels and Shorts.
• Crisis comms. This guide covers consent rules for times when the local is under pressure.
• Privacy page. This page explains how Comms drafts stay on this device and who controls Officer Hub data.

• WordPhoto and video consent formRecords where a member agrees their image may be used, how they are named and how to withdraw.See the template