PostNL and DHL parcel delivery drivers are being targeted on a large scale by online shaming. Angry customers are sharing photos and videos of delivery drivers, often taken with smart video doorbells, in special Facebook groups. Although there is considerable frustration about deliveries, privacy experts and parcel services warn that this behavior is illegal.
According to research by RTL Nieuws, the phenomenon of digital shaming is taking on worrying proportions. Every day, Facebook groups with tens of thousands of members post messages in which delivery drivers are identified in photos. The images are often accompanied by angry comments such as: "You're going to be all over social media now" or "What a jerk of a delivery driver."
The Dutch Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens AP) is clear: publishing these images is a direct violation of privacy law (GDPR). As soon as people are recognizable in the images, they constitute personal data that may not be shared without consent. "Public shaming can have a huge impact on someone's life," says the regulator. It is up to the police and the employer to investigate misconduct, not up to citizens to take the law into their own hands.
Both PostNL and DHL have stated that this trend is placing a heavy burden on their staff. They describe the sharing of images as "very stressful" for delivery drivers, who may feel constantly monitored while they work. The companies are calling on customers to submit complaints through official channels rather than venting their frustrations on social media.
However, the popularity of Facebook groups also seems to reveal a deeper problem. According to the Dutch Consumers' Association, parcel delivery companies' customer service often scores poorly (an average of 3.7). Customers who feel ignored by chatbots or standard responses turn to social media to express their frustration out of a sense of powerlessness.
Although emotions often run high when a package is left out in the rain or a delivery person fails to ring the doorbell, the legal reality remains unchanged: posting the delivery person online is a criminal offense and can lead to legal action against the person who posted the images.
