[Grustaf]

Not saying you're wrong at all, I have zero insight into foster care. Just trying to understand.

But why is it a problem if someone sees a family photo and notices that one kid looks different? He could just be adopted, or a friend or something. Is it something like witness protection, the children might have abusive parents that shouldn't be able to find them?

If it's a matter of not standing out, they will stand out just as much when you meet them anyway, right?

[greedo]

The number of people you meet in person is limited by geography. The number of people who might view a photo online is 7+ billion.

Foster kids might have abusive parents as you surmised. They might have been removed from an unsafe home, or have relatives that were denied custody and might act on a photo.