not sure what to do

[MACollum]

I have a strange problem. Can anyone give me some general information about the rights and wrongs of hotlinking? Without going into too much detail right now, I come across a picture that was hotlinked from my Flickr account on someone's blog. Now, I've also found others being used in the same way but this one is not being used properly and is being offered for free download. The catch is that not only is is totally inappropriate for this picture to be on this particular blog, but clicking the download link does not even take the viewer to my Flickr, nor is there a link to Flickr (as per Flickr's TOS).

I want to send a request to the blog host service to complain but I'm not sure if they have done anything wrong. Many people have removed their pictures from Flickr on this particular blog. Any ideas?

 

[KmH]

If you have images online they can and will be used without your permission by anyone, for anything. That is neither legal nor ethical but many people don't give a **** and steal images and music all the time.

Your only effective defense is to get your images off the Internet.

Visit this Wikipedia link to get more info on the "right's and wrongs" of hotlinking.

 

[MACollum]

I understand that people will use images illegally. I also understand about fair use in copyright law. However, the usage of a picture of my young daughter on a blog called "Sexy Girls" whose only purpose is to get people to download them is highly disturbing. I am looking for ideas on what can be done, not useless commentary of the type I've heard a thousand times before. I have a right to post my images online and I have a right to not have my pictures stolen for use pseudo-porn sites.

I have reported the use of the image and will also be contacting others whose children are posted on this blog. I suspect that a member of this forum has at least one picture (of a child, of course) on the blog as well. Some of the pictures of the women (over 18) are quite vulgar.

 

[JerryPH]

Do that person a favor and send them a PM. If it is rampant, and they are making money off other people's images, time to get a lawyer involved.

 

[MACollum]

I contacted them through Flickrmail. I suppose someone might want to but I did some more checking and there are TONS of pictures. They've done this every month for years. It is a porn site. I guess they work around the kids' pictures by not advertising porn. There is a 900-number on the home page of the blog. They are not actually selling the pictures but they are using them to advertise. I am not going through all that crap to see if they have anything downright illegal (like actual porn on the posts). I saw enough to say it is objectionable, to say the least.

 

[benhasajeep]

I understand that people will use images illegally. I also understand about fair use in copyright law. However, the usage of a picture of my young daughter on a blog called "Sexy Girls" whose only purpose is to get people to download them is highly disturbing. I have reported the use of the image and will also be contacting others whose children are posted on this blog. I suspect that a member of this forum has at least one picture (of a child, of course) on the blog as well. Some of the pictures of the women (over 18) are quite vulgar.

Call the police and file a complaint. At a minimum they are using your pictures without permission. And if they dig further it may be worse. The people behind it need to be checked out!!!