Truth Or Online Frenzy? How Lifetouch, Hired By US Schools For Class Photo Got Linked To Epstein Files
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Last Updated:February 23, 2026, 19:24 IST
Lifetouch, a 90-year-old company hired by US schools for student photos, has been linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein via its parent company Apollo Global Management
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The ‘Epstein Files’ – documents released by the US Department of Justice on the dealings of convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein – have invariably spawned online frenzy and a million new conspiracy theories as much as they have raised questions on truth, accountability, and government transparency.
From the CIA to Jeffrey Epstein’s abilities in espionage – be it for Russia or Israel – the documents have become more about coarse conversations of rich elites than the alleged sexual assault of underage girls.
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Strangely, caught in the crossfire is school picture day, or, as we in India know it more commonly, as “class photo". Lifetouch, a 90-year-old company hired by US schools for student photos, has been linked to Epstein via its parent company Apollo Global Management.
Apollo was previously led by Leon Black, who had documented ties to Epstein and had to quit the company he founded over the revelations in 2021. Now, as schools cancel photo schedules and parents express panic over their children’s privacy, Lifetouch has gone on the defence by thoroughly denying its alleged connection to Epstein.
Here’s all you need to know:
WHAT IS LIFETOUCH?
Before becoming the subject of viral rumours, Lifetouch was primarily known as a 90-year-old photography institution headquartered at Eden Prairie, Minnesota, in the United States.
The company is a behemoth in the industry, photographing more than 2.5 crore students each year across over 50,000 schools, ranging from preschool through to high school. From laser-themed backgrounds of the 1980s to modern digital portraits, it has done it all for nearly a century.
In a notable partnership, it works with the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children to provide “SmileSafe" cards free of charge, which families can provide to law enforcement if a child goes missing. In 2018, it was purchased by Shutterfly – another major player in the digital imaging space.
It was through Shutterfly that Lifetouch eventually became a small part of the vast portfolio managed by Wall Street giant Apollo Global Management.
WHY IS LIFETOUCH ON THE DEFENCE?
The annual school photograph is a fixed point in not only the American academic calendar but also at Indian schools.
A routine moment of smiles and staged backdrops captured for posterity, however, has been cast into the looming “Epstein shadow".
Lifetouch has been bombarded with a frenzy of online coverage and viral social media posts linking it to the Epstein files. The controversy surfaced this month, when online posts began to frame its proximity to the Epstein orbit as a “parental red flag".
According to a report by USA Today, on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, content creators and users have shared claims that paedophiles might have access to the company’s extensive database of children’s images. In fact, one Instagram video advising parents to opt their children out of photos, received at least 40,000 views while a single post on X reached over one lakh people claiming that it “keeps a database of all the digital photos of kids and their personal info".
More extreme claims have surfaced on the internet, with some accounts attempting to link Lifetouch to wider, unfounded conspiracy theories suggesting it is part of a global trafficking ring. Even without these allegations, many parents have expressed discomfort.
HOW IS APOLLO CONNECTED TO LIFETOUCH?
The connection between Lifetouch and Epstein has to do with Apollo Global Management. Funds managed by subsidiaries of Apollo are investors in Shutterfly, which in turn owns Lifetouch.
Apollo acquired Shutterfly in September 2019 in a USD 2.7 billion deal. The timeline of this acquisition has been a key point in the company’s defence.
The deal closed just one month after Epstein’s death by suicide in prison while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. At the time of the acquisition, Apollo was led by its co-founder and then-CEO Leon Black.
Black is the primary figure connecting the firm to Epstein, having maintained a regular and lucrative relationship with the convicted sex offender for years.
WHY IS APOLLO IN THE EPSTEIN FILES?
Apollo Global Management, which manages nearly USD 1 trillion in assets, has been “dogged by its ties to Epstein for years", as reported by CNN.
The firm’s former CEO, Leon Black, resigned in 2021 after an internal probe revealed he had paid Epstein a staggering $158 million for advice on estate planning, tax issues, and his “family office" between 2012 and 2017.
While the probe concluded there was “no evidence" Black was involved in Epstein’s criminal activities, the scale of the financial relationship caused a massive blow to his and the company’s reputation. The recent release of documents, however, has suggested the links were more widespread than previously acknowledged.
CNN reported that the files indicate that Marc Rowan, who replaced Black as CEO, met with Epstein multiple times years after the financier’s 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution. Emails from 2016 show Epstein and Rowan discussing a potential “corporate inversion" tax manoeuvre, with Epstein suggesting the use of the banking firm Rothschild for “interesting structures". Rowan reportedly shared internal Apollo email correspondence with Epstein regarding the valuation of tax assets as late as March 2016.
WHAT DID LIFETOUCH SAY?
Lifetouch has unequivocally denied any wrongdoing or involvement in the Epstein scandal, labelling the online claims “completely false".
The company’s website quotes CEO Ken Murphy in a statement to reassure families and schools that “Lifetouch is not named in the Epstein files".
“The documents contain no allegations that Lifetouch itself was involved in, or that student photos were used in, any illicit activities," Murphy said.
He has stressed that student images are “safeguarded for families and schools, only, with no exceptions". To counter fears regarding data privacy, the firm has highlighted several key operational facts:
- No Access: Neither Apollo nor its funds are involved in day-to-day operations, and therefore no Apollo employee has ever had access to student images.
- No Sharing: Lifetouch does not share, sell, or license student images to third parties, nor does it use them to train AI models or facial recognition technology.
- Legal Compliance: The company follows all federal, state, and local data privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
- Privacy Pledge: Lifetouch was the first school photography company to sign a voluntary and enforceable privacy pledge.
Read the full statement here. The Lifetouch website has also published FAQs providing further details on the Epstein row.
US SCHOOLS CANCEL ‘PICTURE DAYS’
Despite assurances from Lifetouch, the “ripple effect" of the Epstein files has caused significant disruption of its schedules across the US.
At least 10 school districts across four states – including Texas, Arizona, Michigan, and New Jersey – have cancelled or paused their contracts with Lifetouch, as reported by NBC News.
The Associated Press reported that in the small town of Malakoff, Texas, the local school district cancelled a scheduled picture day after parents expressed intense discomfort. Katherine Smith, a spokesperson for the district, said they decided families “would be best served by keeping all of our pictures in-house for the rest of this year".
Similar actions were taken by a charter school in Arizona, which cancelled picture days “out of an abundance of caution" to maintain the “safety, security, and trust" of their families. The Mount Pleasant Area School District in Pennsylvania also ended its partnership with Lifetouch immediately, citing the fallout from the Epstein files. It told families that they will be seeking a new vendor for the 2026-2027 school year, as reported by CBS.
In California, NBC News reported, the Alisal Union School District superintendent, Mónica Anzo, wrote to parents to address “unfounded rumours" but said the safety of children is the district’s “most important concern". While some districts, such as the Weber School District in Utah, have chosen to continue their relationship with Lifetouch after being satisfied that student data is safe, the general atmosphere remains tense.
For many parents, however, the issue is not about proven data breaches but about the “perception of association". As long as the names of Apollo’s leadership remain entwined with the Epstein files, Lifetouch may find it difficult to fully restore the trust of the millions it serves.
(With agency inputs)
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