A couple of weeks ago a college friend of hers was sightseeing in Prague (Czech Republic) and happened to drive past a huge advertisement on a store specialising in European food. To his surprise the advertisement featured Danielle and her family's Christmas card photo. He rang Danielle in America to tell her and she was shocked.
The owner of the store claims he just got the image off the internet and thought the photo was computer generated. Now he knows it's a personal family photo, he says he plans to remove the advertising.
It's clear how the image was found. Anyone can use Google image search to look for "happy family" and narrow the search down to "extra large images". Among the images displayed on the results page is a 1MB copy of the Smith's photo that Danielle had uploaded to Facebook.
We have to assume that any images we post are available to anyone. Anywhere. So before we post them we may have to imagine how the photo could be used. Danielle said next time she posts a photo on the internet, she's going to lower the resolution or add an electronic watermark to make it hard to reproduce. She said, "This story doesn't frighten me, but the potential frightens me."
Quite frankly she should be grateful it was a food store that used her photo. I have been to Prague and it is full of sex shops and has a large sex industry.
Something similar happened to me. Nothing to do with Prague.
Someone used my photo without my permission. And I was shattered. Simply because it wasn't my best photo and was designed purely to make the other party look way hotter. If I could catch the guy that did this I would sue but alas he is hard to pin down. I have tried. Believe me.
So beware bloggers, that's all I am saying.......lower resolutions, watermarks..... that should fix it. No-one will want your photos then and if they do, they certainly won't be able to blow them up to life size advertisements. And, if anyone has any tips on how to do watermarks on images can you let us know?
UPDATE: Just to show what people can do with your photos, CJW666 (Christopher Williams blog) sent me a different version of the above picture after he made it a little more friendly, lol. Next time Chris, err George, you can doctor all my pictures to remove drooping jowls, wrinkles and double chins...and make me look more like Kylie Minogue. You have to go visit Christopher's latest post here!
Would just love to see myself plastered all over the Co-op window-even the local Spar shop would do at a pinch
ReplyDeleteWow - scary and thought-provoking... which is why I never ever post pics of my kids...
ReplyDeleteI shrink my images before I upload them but I don't think it'd stop someone using them for some things... unfortunately some people don't understand (or care about) copyright :(
ReplyDeleteI have a pic JUST like that one, me and George, as my avatar at the moment on my forum on The Dgital Scrapbook Place.
ReplyDeleteYes, as you said, lucky it was an ad for something pleasant!!
P.S. - DO you know, every single time I am at the airport, for some reason, I think of you?
Gosh! Now I've got to learn how to make a watermark. I have no idea how to do that. This is rather a scary thought. I guess this is why my daughter asked me not to do a full frontal shot of my baby granddaughter for now.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think George should be ashamed of himself.
People do not relise that when they post a picture on Facebook it is then owned by Facebook. If Facebook wanted to sell your pictures they could. Not saying they have but all your pictures can be searched and found on Google as well. We as humans implicitly trust others but there are some freaks out there in the world. This is timely. I dont know how to do watermarks though but I will google to find out.
ReplyDeleteI just fund this link - you may need software to do the watermark but this site also has info on reducing the size of your photos for online use.http://cameras.about.com/od/printing/ss/watermark.htm
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning Lilly! I am extremely paranoid about my privacy on the web, and try as far as possible to protect the people in my life. For that reason I try to avoid publishing pictures on my blog about the people in my life or of myself for that matter. I blame my paranoia on my work,... the things that I have heard in workshops and conferences on human trafficking... traffickers are so well organized and connected... mind blowing... it is beyond scary.
ReplyDeleteI just don't trust the net.
Thanks again for the article!
Aw, Lilly. I love that photo - G
ReplyDelete@ Barbara - I think you just might too - good job you and R are photogenic!!!
ReplyDelete@ Leslie - oh my me and airports, why I never. I wonder what could have made you think of me. I try and avoid the Canberra one now. Thank goodness its winter and I can wrap a scarf around my head...yes thats how George makes himself look popular - well you have Italy in common..
@ Sarah - thanks muchly that link looks good. You can stop the right click function too to stop people saving your photos apparently.
@ cjw666 - yes YOU love the photo of YOURSELF. We ALL GET IT GEORGE!! (one day GC is going to sue I just know!,lol).
@Lilly: Well, if he does, the infamy can only be good for all our bank accounts :)
ReplyDeleteGood post and a warning to folks to be careful. Internet is such a wonderful medium. Otherwise we would not have been able to read your blog, but on the other hand like everything else in life, it can be misused. Will check about the watermark.
ReplyDelete@Lilly: However, I rather like this one - G
ReplyDeletehttp://cjw666.wordpress.com/files/2009/06/lillyslife-georgeclooney-2.jpg
wow! good thing it was a wholesome advertisement, ive always been reluctant about posting personal photos on the web, but now i never thought about the possible risks really. Hmmm, dont know how to make watermarks but im sure it has something to do with Photoshop!
ReplyDeletehey, that chick and george looks great together!
The Internet can be very scary!! Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteYes, Lilly, I too have heard of this happening..I even heard of somebody's entire blog being jacked..LOL It is fair game they say if you post your pictures on the internet..I must learn how to do the watermark or reduce the resolutions. Thankyou again for the heads up.. I am back home now playing catch up with all the bloggers out there :-))
ReplyDeleteIt's as easy as copy and paste. A person has to be careful.
ReplyDeleteGood Monday morning to you, dear Lilly :)
ReplyDeleteHow horrible and devastating to put you with George like that when you two have been so discreet ! (lol)
But do I have to scold you very gently and remind you that he is a chronic UNAVAILABLE man ?
No matter how cute he is on the outside, his track record for longevity with a woman sucks.
And you would end up being broken-hearted Lilly, because you would not have valued yourself highly enough to be uninterested in someone who was so clearly uninterested in committment.
Want more for yourself, woman - than just a man whose desirability is on the outside...
I know your post/the picture was a joke - and I still want you to be clear on what a good man for you looks like ! Intelligent, kind, responsible, ethical... Available, ready, willing and able to commit, with a past track record of longevity :)
It used to freak me put when people would download my food photography... I watermarked everything for a while, but now I don't care...
But you do have to be careful about publishing photos of yourself (or the front of your home where your address might be able to be identified) on your blog/the internet.
Geaorge Clooney ain't got nothing on you!
ReplyDeleteGood post - good info.
ReplyDeleteMy sister still refuses to put ANY photos online.
Lower resolution (and size) is a good practice for another reason. Back in my dial-up days (yes there are some still on dial-up) it drove me nuts when someone would send me a big 1 megabyte or more picture. I would wait and wait to see a picture that sometimes I didn't even care about much. So I got in the practice of sending reduced pictures. Most picture software has that option. (easy with Iphoto)
Watermark - I've tried that a few times and probably good practice but I think the pros can probably remove them.
The right-click disable is an interesting fix. I've noticed a number of "photos of day" sites have the pictures inside a player so that stops an easy copy.
I thought the privacy settings on Facebook really did work. So if you only allow friends to see the pictures I thought a search engine would not collect them. Am I wrong? I'm still learning FB.
Remember a screenshot of anything displayed on the screen can also be done. Don't post pictures you don't want the world to see.
thanks for the post
This is scary! Makes you rethink placing pics anywhere online.
ReplyDelete@lisleman: Right click disable is OK, but you can still highlight (left button) and click on copy. On Facebook you can keep stuff private, but you see friends and they have friends and then they have friends of friends and so on. Sooner or later everything is public, but what the hell, eh? Just keep really personal stuff out of cyberspace.
ReplyDeleteWow, interesting. However, if I'm on a billboard in Prague I'll probably never know about it. And I won't be in a sex shop ad either.
ReplyDeleteThey refused to use my picture.
LOL
Thanks for the heads up, that's a little scary especially considering all the pictures I have on facebook!
ReplyDeleteYou can add a watermark using photoshop, just go to Filter --> Digmarc --> Embed Watermark. You might need a plug in, but you can go to Digimarc.com and download a free one there.
If you don't have photoshop, you can use Picmarkr and that's free.
Wow, that's scary and amazing that someone who knew the family actually saw the billboard in a different country!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's important to consider all this kind of stuff when posting photos. And, now when people complain I don't post MY pic with my blog, I'll refer them to your post. At least that will be my excuse :-)
I was thinking the same as Joanna, how wild that the photo should be spotted and reported to the owner..small world. Although once I posted a picture that I liked and the owner contacted me and said they were glad I liked it. It was one of my first blog posts and I never did that again. I was quick to credit the person after.
ReplyDeleteThat truly is quite scary!
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine where some of my personal photos could end up *gulp*
I know you can do watermarks in photoshop if you have the software.
That truly is quite scary!
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine where some of my personal photos could end up *gulp*
I know you can do watermarks in photoshop if you have the software.
Lilly - I don't mind you using photo-editor to pretend you're standing next to me. But tell me next time...!
ReplyDeleteWow! Crazy story and how strange!
ReplyDeleteBut the best part is the pick of you and George. That, my friend, is ideal!!!
Creepy! Great photo though!! lol
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning. I must admit I am totally too trusting in this blogging world. Luckily I haven´t had a bad experience yet, but I guess I should at least post my pic´s at a lower resolution. Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteThough I have never posted pictures yet, thanks for the caution.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't mind being copy pasted beside Clooney,though. Or Pitt. Or Federer!
That would freak me out if I saw family members in an advertisement from pictures I've shared online. Thanks for the information!
ReplyDeleteAnd... love the shot of you photoshoped. Hehe.
yeah, tips on how to watermark would be really useful!
ReplyDeleteLily, I know the other party gained from having you supposedly pose with them....you just have to grin and bear it, I guess!!
Oh my God that is scary.Love the photo of you and Geogre.
ReplyDeleteLilly, the watermark is a good idea. If you have a look at ladymelbourne.blogspot.com she has her name on each of her photos, is that what you mean by the watermark? She could probably fill you in about whatever she has done to her pics, her email is provided on her site.
ReplyDeleteI post pictures of my grandchildren rarely, but now I will rethink this practice.
ReplyDeleteBut I love the photo of you and George; I didn't know you two were still an item :)
@ Gran, yes in my dreams or nightmares whihcever way you want to look at it, lol.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting post, Lilly -- as always! We're all susceptible to those out there looking to use something or someone to their advantage. Cool pic of you and George! Lol!
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
I really don't like the way people just help themselves you others art and hard work. It's unfortunate that the internet makes that so easy. I guess you just have to copywrite everything,hope for the best and really think about what you are putting onto the internet.
ReplyDeleteThat's the reason I keep my blog anonymous and refuse to put pics on FB. Then again, my pics never come out as nice as Danielle's or yours ;) so that ever happening is probably out of the question!
ReplyDelete@ Psych Babbler - wise move I think to be honest. I am getting warier everyday to be honest. I am glad I am not on FB (oh and I am sounding more and more like my grandmother now!).
ReplyDeleteSaw this on tv, very freaky. Good tips, I need to reduce my dpis on everything.
ReplyDeletep.s. I canNOT belEIVE George is steppin out on me! :)
That pic of the happy family was of former local newscasters here. She was an anchor/reporter for KSPR in Springfield, MO, and he was a weatherman. I'm not sure if they are still in the business somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I wonder how Christopher Williams got that picture of me? For I was unaware of it being posted anywhere, but it is flattering that you would want to be in the picture with me.
Oh dear... I will start putting a copyright at the bottom of all my pictures...
ReplyDeleteA godo case in point bu tI am surprised a mere 1MB image coudl be blown up that large? It must have been larger, file size wise thatn that in the first place. Anything 72 dpi can not be printed that big and so keep that in mind when placing images on web.
ReplyDeleteWAtermark? Easy. Simple type your phrase or word or whatever on another layer in white, then drop transparency for the layer down to about 40% and voila! you are set and ready to save the image as a jpeg.
I dunno thats like beyond ridiculous...
ReplyDeleteI have seen people steal others photos and create whole myspace and facebook profiles on it. But for a supermarket to just randomly grab any image from the net and use it on their shop window is crazy.
It is an even bigger/lucky coincidence that your friend who lives in america found out about this..
OMG that photo at the bottom of the post is pricelss, hilarious even.
ReplyDeletea very good post!
ReplyDelete:)
i only post low res or medium resolution images on the internet and always add a "layer" to my photoshopped images that has "©" and the year i created my artwork followed by my name.
i do this layering in place of watermarking my images. :)
The more I think about this the more I realize many people don't even bother to remove the zombie red eye from their pictures. So watermarks and such are great for some but beyond the reach of others.
ReplyDeleteThe low res idea is good.
Also, there are photo sites like smugmug.com that protects your security for a price.
Every year I get totally pissed off when I see the cover of Sports Illustrated's swinsuit edition and they've put someone else's face on my body. So not fair.
ReplyDelete@ Linda Lou - well see I believe you - you have the body but you also have the gorgeous face. Maybe you need long hair!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I'd react if I knew one of my personal pictures was plastered on a billboard somewhere! It's very unnerving! At least the owner is removing the image, but WOW!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog, by the way!
I can't believe it! I mean they are a very potogenic family but still! As fir thta rascal George...send him to me...I'll sort him out for you!
ReplyDeleteI will ask my son about the watermark and get back to you. I love the photo of you it made me laugh, it looks like you walked into the photo just to be funny. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteTo put a watermark on your images you will need a graphics program like Photoshop. There is also a free graphics program called Gimp, but I haven't used it myself.
ReplyDeleteIf only someone thought my photo worthy of an ad for a sex store. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteyes, we saw that here on the news, about the family's photo...very eerie! We were not used in a bad(malcious) way, especially with the children ( a small note of thankfulness!)
ReplyDelete@ Susan - be careful what you wish for, lol!!
ReplyDelete@ The Muse - I think its made her blog very popular if nothing else!
Thanks everyone for your tips as well on how to do a watermark.
WOW, that is scary! I love the photo of you though. Thanks for the info. I don't have photoshop and don't know how to put on a photomark.
ReplyDeleteI don't put family photos up or mine on my blog. This is scary. It makes me warry of Google - they seem to feel that things posted through their site belong to them.
ReplyDeleteMr. Clooney should be so honored to have Lilly in his life!
Thanks for making us aware of the dangers of putting photographs on blog.
ReplyDeleteBloggers particularly those of my age are enthusiastic but not exactly tech savvy. I think putting a water mark is a good idea. And getting blogspot/ wordpress etc to leave such safety instructions on their site is even better so that we can refer to it all the time.
Thanks again for making us aware,
Vivek
@Lilly: I was just thinking how like Kylie you look.
ReplyDelete@Susan: No problem. Send photos to Lilly - we'll work on them! :)
Lilly,
ReplyDeleteIn between these transformations , do check my blog where you are tagged....:-)
Well, I would have never dreamt of something like that. Thank goodness I don't post any real pictures of me on my blog anymore! =)
ReplyDeleteYou see Lilly...cjw666 thinks you look like Kylie.
ReplyDeleteI think reduction is the best (the photo's not Kylie's butt) I always reduce the pixels to the same size, or slightly smaller than the size I want for my blog....usually around 600pix)
If someone tries to reproduce a 600pix photo, they will only be able to blow it up to around 2" square on a photocopier)
Watermarks are unsightly and can be retouched out. You can find them on Photoshop, which I have....equally I can retouch them out with....Photoshop. :(
Right click protection...I use it on my blogs...except for the Wordpress.com one...'cause I can't
you can get it by joining whozontop.com (it's a bit like blogcatalog) ... as soon as you install their code on your sidebar, the protection kicks in.
(shameless blog promotion....go to my site http://soulmerlin.typepad.com/reflections and try it out.
In the end, pixel reduction is best...at least it means that no firm can use a blow-up for commercial gain.
Also join imagekind.com and upload some of your best photos...they have a forum and lots of keen photographers, professional and amateur, who will give their opinions and advice.
love
henry
Wow. incredible.
ReplyDeleteOh and that DAMNED photo that George stole again??? God that man will never give up on you Lilly....I'll pray for him...
xx
@ Henry, I should be so lucky, lucky luck, lol. I could eat Kylie I think, little singing budgie that she is. Thanks for all that info Henry. does this mean you are blogging again. Be right over!
ReplyDeleteWow, I can imagine how you would feel with your pic on a store advertisement without knowing about it! A mixture of outrage and feeling flattered?
ReplyDelete