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Comment by biglost | Hacker News Reader

Curious about “ And asking for it afterwards almost guarantees you will be turned down. ” She seems to know most people wont approve it, so the solution is to not ask. I imagine my daughter: “Dad, i didnt ask for permission because you would say no, so i not asked for it and Im safe for being grounded.” Weird thinking

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It's also empirically wrong in my experience. I take a lot of photos of my dog, particularly at the dog park or around my neighborhood when we're out walking. I put the best ones up on Instagram. Some of those photos have people in them. I never post a photo with an identifiable person in it without showing them the photos and asking the person first. Not once have I been turned down.

I did once take a photo of my dog with two cute little twin 8 year old girls who live in my neighborhood. I told them to tell their parents, and that I wasn't going to put that one up online, and I didn't. Later, I met their father when my dog and I were out on a walk, after I introduced myself, I made sure to tell him explicitly that I had taken the photo. I just don't think it's fair to put kids' photos online like that.

I think it very much depends on the circumstances. If people are sitting down and are in an environment where they feel safe, you can walk over with a friendly smile, chat a little, show them the camera and btw, I took some pictures of you that I hope will turn out really nice. I hope you don’t mind, I’ll be happy to send you a copy. Few people say no.

On he other hand, people who are in a hurry or feel vulnerable mostly say no just by default. Does it reflect their true feelings about the matter if they had time to reflect? Hard to know.

In the US the situation should be simple. The first amendment must trump any right to any expectation of privacy in a public space.

Yes, “I didn’t ask to kiss you because I knew you’d say no. It's better for society if I just go ahead.”

It's becuase people will assume a different intent, it sounds like a scam that way.

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