Halachic Ruling: Is it Permissible to Share Embarrassing Videos on WhatsApp?

In his daily halacha on the Netzach Israel website, Rabbi Ratzon Arusi, rabbi of Kiryat Ono and member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, addressed the issue of photographing and distributing embarrassing pictures or videos of people.

It is forbidden to photograph a person without their knowledge and permission. Everyone has the right to privacy. Therefore, anyone who photographs someone without their knowledge and permission essentially violates the person's right to privacy. This is especially true when some of these photographs, taken without the subject's consent, can be very harmful to both society and the individual.

Many times a person is in a posture or situation that, if captured in an image, would be shameful and embarrassing. Therefore, preserving such things falls under what the Torah states: "Do not let injustice dwell in your tent." Showing such an image from person to person and sharing it on WhatsApp constitutes "defamation," and is considered gossiping about a person even without speaking. The picture speaks for itself, and it can also be considered defamation.

Once I was at the airport sitting and waiting to board the plane. Someone stood there and photographed a young woman standing opposite me. What might people see in that picture? They see a young woman next to the figure of a rabbi holding a book and studying, with her in the background. People might think we were actually together due to our physical proximity. There is no doubt that such things are evil and sinful. These things are more than gossip; they are often "defamation" because, as mentioned, if someone photographs a man with a woman when there is no connection or awareness between them, tomorrow or the next day, rumors will spread that he has a relationship with her.

It is Forbidden to Photograph People at Meals or Funerals

We were sitting at a community celebration, and as we know, everyone today holds a phone that can take pictures. People started taking photos, and people were caught in moments when they were eating or opening their mouths in an unflattering way, or biting food, or reaching out to take something from a distance. These are very embarrassing situations. I stood up and told them that this is forbidden, since people are embarrassed. They should decide whether they want to eat together as brothers or refrain from eating until the photography is finished. Otherwise, these things, as mentioned, harm people. They immortalize situations that embarrass people, and this is forbidden according to the Torah.

My friend Rabbi Yaakov Rozeh has already published a halacha that it is forbidden to photograph mourners or escorting family members. Often they are in very uncomfortable postures and situations due to their state of mourning, grief, and sorrow. Therefore, it is absolutely forbidden to photograph them without their permission or knowledge. By doing so, photographers perpetuate situations in which people would not want to be seen.

Once after finishing a lecture, I came down from the stage to leave, and many people approached me to say hello and receive a blessing. Behind me, several women deliberately stood and asked their acquaintances to take photos. The pictures captured them as if they were right behind me, accompanying me. I was unaware of this because I was focused on greeting people and offering words of blessing. Only later, when someone showed me the picture, did I see how embarrassing it was, as if I was associating with women and girls behind me, to my right and left. These things constitute defamation. Because a person who sees this might say, "Look where the rabbi spends his time, look who he's with, etc." They don't know the circumstances or what happened.

This plague of pictures everywhere, in everyone's hands, is not like in the past when one had to invite a photographer knowingly, with preparation. Today, everyone holds a device all the time and photographs anyone, thereby transgressing serious Torah prohibitions.

In a community that fears Heaven, we must educate and publicize that it is forbidden to photograph a person without their knowledge and permission. With all due respect to our desire to capture certain events, we must ask those involved if they consent. If not, we should not photograph. As mentioned, many transgressions stem from these photographs.