'Take down Facebook honeymoon snaps': court

A marital tiff ended up in court this week after a man complained that his wife of ten years had put up photos of the couple on Facebook “without his permission”, local daily Il Mattino reported.

The photos, published by the wife on her Facebook profile, were taken during the couple’s honeymoon around a decade ago, and included photos of the pair hugging and kissing.

The court ruled in favour of the husband, and the woman has now been forced to take the photos down. The woman may also have to pay damages, Il Mattino said. 

In her defense, the wife argued that “the use of social networks is now so advanced that we can consider a Facebook wall to be not unlike a private photo album.”

But the court found that, contrary to the wife’s defense, the publication of a photo on the internet is “significantly worse” than any other form of publication because privacy cannot be guaranteed by the user.

The court found that the woman had “certainly violated the right to privacy of her husband”, citing Article 10 of the civil code and a piece of legislation from 1941 which states that the portrait of a person cannot be displayed, reproduced or sold without the person’s consent. 

The decision was welcomed by the husband’s lawyer, Ciro Renino, who said: “It’s an unprecedented decision, which will provide a point of reference for Facebook users.”  

There was no indication in media reports that the couple were divorced.