Privacy Bugs in Picasa's Batch Upload

 

Privacy Vulnerability in Batch Upload

I have been using Picasa/PicasaWeb  to share photos. Here is my workflow:

1. Load all photos from my camera onto my computer, creating a folder for each event/day.
2. In Picasa, "Star" my favorite photos.
3. Sync the folder to web, "Starred photos only", and share that folder publicly.

Today, I discovered the Batch Upload feature, and thought it would be a good way to create a private online backup of all my photos. Mistake!

When you use the "Batch Upload" feature in Picasa, you choose Online settings, like Photo Size, Visibility, and Sync On/Off. If you are Uploading a folder that is already partially synced to Web, these settings are ignored.

If you have already chosen to Sync the Folder to Web, the new upload is merged with the old upload. Previous settings are maintained, including visibility. Picasa's Batch Upload will set the entire folder to Public, even if you choose "Private" in the Upload Options!

There is a separate radio button for "Change options".  If you are using the Upload to create a private backup,  Use the "Change options" button to make an album private.

However, doing so will make ALL the photos private, including the Starred Photos that were previously public. So, you will then need to create new albums for photos you want to share.

If you have already shared a folder in the past, you'll need to go back and update blog posts / web links to point to the new albums. 

Effectively Batch Upload gives you two options:

1. Publicize ALL your photos in a folder,
2. or Privatize ALL your photos.

There is no way to create an online folder (album) that is part public and part private.

 

If you want to use "Batch Upload" as a Backup feature, you can't use Folder Sync (with Starred Photos only) as a "sharing/publishing" feature.albums.

Pooh!