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.

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.

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.

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".

Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News