Ethics and Photographs in AE
No human remains
In most cases, AE prefers not to publish images of human remains, echoing the policy adopted by Sapiens.
Photos taken in public
Is it OK to publish photos of people who are in public spaces but who have not given their permission to be photographed? According to US laws, this is a privacy issue, so the question is whether someone in a public space has “a reasonable expectation of privacy.” In general, people do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in public spaces and may be photographed. This often happens in news reporting. Exceptions apply when the photo is of one person or a small group and the image is used for commercial purposes. Or if someone is in a restroom, even if in a public facility, that person has an expectation of privacy.
Photos taken in private
AE requires that authors ask permission when photographing people in a private space, such as a home. Though not legally required, this is a good ethical practice. Written consent is generally not required, but as noted in the AAA’s policy (“What is AAA’s policy on photographs?”),
Caution should be used if the photograph involves private conduct of a highly personal or offensive nature or the disclosure of which would prove to be embarrassing to the subject (e.g., photographs of injured patients in a hospital and photographs of children in private settings). A written consent may be appropriate in those situations.
Anonymization
If the article includes an image of research participant who is pseudonymized in the text, then their face should be obscured in the image.
