I read this article on Newsweek about a family who lost their daughter in a horrific car accident.  Two CHP officers that were at the scene had taken photos minutes after the accident capturing the disturbing result of the accident.  These photos (which I have not seen and do not desire to see) have been posted all over the web.  The photos show the incredible wreckage done to that poor girl – photos of what she looked like after the accident – photos of the dead.

These photos leaked quickly because the CHP officers had sent them to a few family members and friends to warn people.  It turned viral.  It went all over town, next thing you know it was all over the internet.

Anything that gets posted on the internet is virtually accessible to everyone.  Once it gets spread, there’s almost no way to track it or to stop it.  If you read the article, you’ll see what type of horrific surprises this family faced due to the photos being on the internet.

Why would people want to view such horrific photos…photos of someone who is dead – result of a horrible horrible accident?  The article talks about anonymity – the internet is like a mask allowing people to do what they want without being judged.  I think it is partly because there is no emotional attachment from the viewer to the person in the photo.  To them it’s just a photo – to them, it might not even be real.  They don’t know the family, they aren’t friends, there is a disconnect which I think makes people have no bad feelings about spreading the photo further and further.

I feel really bad for that family.  They suffered such a great loss in such a terrible way, yet here they are trying to battle the “world”, to try to live each day without a photo of their dead daughter/sister pop up in their face.  People deserve dignity.  By continually posting this girl’s photo around, they are not giving her any dignity.  She’s human like you and me.  She deserves more than that and so does her family.