How many times have you cringed or blushed with embarrassment after seeing an unflattering Facebook photo you were tagged in?

Facebook has really come under fire for their lack of control in this area. It wasn’t until August of last year that Facebook introduced the ability for users to approve tagged photos before they are published to their profile. This is a step in the right direction, but many users want the ability to approve photos before they are ever posted to Facebook in the first place. Sophos conducted a survey just this month and a whopping 83% of respondents think that their permission should be obtained before someone else can post their photos to Facebook. 8% thought that posting a photo to Facebook without permission should be illegal!

The bottom line is there really isn’t a good way to get unflattering or embarrassing pictures removed from Facebook.

Most people simply deny tagged photos or ask the offending poster to remove them, but not Aaron Olson. According to Above the Law, Olson’s uncle posted childhood photos that Olson found offensive. The uncle later untagged Olson, but this just wasn’t enough for the humiliated nephew.

Olson then tried to obtain a restraining order against his uncle for harassment, but to no avail. The courts in Minnesota ruled that “comments that are mean and disrespectful, coupled with innocuous family photos, do not affect a person’s safety, security, or privacy…” and therefore do not count as harassment.”

Do you think Facebook should make it easier for unwanted photos to be removed or is the current tag approval system adequate?