Use this checklist for family photographs, group trips or images a travel company would like to publish. Agreement to be photographed, permission to share in a private group and permission to appear in advertising are different decisions.
Ask about a specific use
Send the selected images and proposed caption to identifiable companions. Explain the account, audience, whether names or locations will appear and whether a business will receive the files. For example: “May I post these two group photographs on my public personal Instagram account after we return, without naming anyone?” This is a communication example, not a complete legal release.
If someone agrees only to private sharing, do not pass the images to a company's marketing team. Discuss children's images with their guardians and respect a child's reluctance too. A smiling photograph does not establish permission to reveal a relationship, health condition, religious activity or need for assistance. If you cannot reach someone, choose a landscape image without their identifiable likeness.
Enlarge every image before posting
Could a name badge, tattoo or context identify someone even if their eyes are covered?
Are passports, boarding passes, ticket codes, luggage labels, hotel room numbers or phone screens visible? Crop them out or obscure them fully.
Do the caption, live location or image location data reveal accommodation or plans that are still in progress? Remove unnecessary location sharing and consider posting after leaving.
Are residents, staff or other visitors identifiable in the background? Reframe or crop where possible; discuss close portraits directly.
Does the venue allow photography, and does it separately restrict commercial use?
Before supplying images to a business
Record which photographs may be used, on which accounts, for personal sharing or advertising, for how long, and whether editing and new captions are permitted. Agree on a contact for removal requests. One group member cannot give permission on behalf of every adult. Receiving free photographs should not be treated as unlimited permission to use a likeness.
If your wishes change, contact the publisher with the specific links. Copies already saved or redistributed by others may be impossible to recover completely.
China's Civil Code protects likeness and privacy and also provides exceptions for certain reasonable uses. The treatment of people appearing in public scenes depends on context; public location is not blanket permission. This checklist takes a practical approach: explain the intended use, consult identifiable people and exclude private information.
Checked 2026-10-22: Civil Code provisions on likeness and privacy. International platforms and commercial projects may require additional checks for the particular use.
Editorial archive date: 2026-03-21. This guide was compiled later; use the source-check dates stated in the text.
