# Is someone stealing my pictures?



## blazeno.8 (Sep 6, 2009)

I don't know if this is the right place to talk about this, but I'm not sure if someone is just out and out stealing my pictures or just hot-linking them.  The reason I can't tell is because the websites are in Arabic.  I was looking at my stats from my web host and it appears that a website called 3roos and another called ava-kyrillos have been included in the statistics for my file views.  Specktra is the #1 site on this list, so I can only assume that someone is getting my pictures from this site and then putting the links on those sites (since everything I post elsewhere is under locks with restricted viewing access).
This is... annoying to put it lightly.


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## gildedangel (Sep 6, 2009)

I am sorry that this has happened! That is why I watermark my photos with an obnoxious yellow "gildedangel" in the corner. It sounds like they are hotlinking your picture since you are getting the views statistics. Still doesn't make it right though.


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## blazeno.8 (Sep 6, 2009)

What makes it even worse... I'm looking at the monthly statistics and I decided to make Specktra's stats the only ones visible and it dropped from 413 views to 146 views.  And that's in July alone.  It continued into August... D:<


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## RedRibbon (Sep 6, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *gildedangel* 

 
_I am sorry that this has happened! That is why I watermark my photos with an obnoxious yellow "gildedangel" in the corner. It sounds like they are hotlinking your picture since you are getting the views statistics. Still doesn't make it right though._

 
I watermark mine with a banner across the whole image because I've seen in the past where people have taken images with a watermark in the corner and just cut it out or scribbled with paint over it. 

Some people are just really rude when it comes to things like that.


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## Sushi~Flower (Sep 6, 2009)

More than likely, yes.
I have a You Tube Channel dedicated to my skating competitions,shows and have the same problem except mine are all showing up on Japanese sites
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 I tried contacted You Tube about it, but if you are posting material for the general public and not a password protected site, anyone and everyone can link it, take it, photo shop it....I had photos with watermarks and people have photo shopped them and reposted
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Its annoying, I hear ya'


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## blazeno.8 (Sep 6, 2009)

What a pain.  I'm not posting anymore tutorials until I have a little more control over this situation.  I mean, not only is it stealing, but it also messes with my bandwidth.


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## Blushbaby (Sep 6, 2009)

That's annoying. I slap my watermark in the middle of my pics. I don't mind if others use my pics on their blogs/sites but just have the decency to credit the original source - moi! 

It's flipping time consuming swatching, snapping, uploading and posting pics!


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## cazgh (Sep 6, 2009)

Can you find out from your log files which pages on the web are calling up your images?  

One thing i like to do when this happens is rename the original file and repoint your links to the newly named file and then create a new file with the old name that shows up on their site with something embarrasing, or something that directly says "this image has been stolen from..." and then pop your details in.

I did a web site for a bull mastiff breeder and spotted high usage on a forum of one particular image of a dog.  Turns out someone was using it as their avatar on a forum and everytime they posted or someone read a thread it called up my image.  It was some stupid forum about guns and hard men so I swopped it out for a picture of a ballerina - lol they soon changed the image after that...

Another time a competitor used a pic we had taken as a demo of products that they themselves had manufactured.  On this one I just swopped it for a big image which said "I'm a big old image thief!!!" - In giant text and this displayed in their online catalogue for just over a month before they changed it...

Man some people are so cheeky!!  Hope you get it sorted


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## user79 (Sep 6, 2009)

3roos has a history of picture theft from this website - beware


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## blazeno.8 (Sep 6, 2009)

I actually swapped it out for a picture of Felix the cat.
Maybe I should do something a little less flattering if I still see regular usage of the image.

 Quote:

   Originally Posted by *cazgh* 

 
_Can you find out from your log files which pages on the web are calling up your images?  

One thing i like to do when this happens is rename the original file and repoint your links to the newly named file and then create a new file with the old name that shows up on their site with something embarrasing, or something that directly says "this image has been stolen from..." and then pop your details in.

I did a web site for a bull mastiff breeder and spotted high usage on a forum of one particular image of a dog.  Turns out someone was using it as their avatar on a forum and everytime they posted or someone read a thread it called up my image.  It was some stupid forum about guns and hard men so I swopped it out for a picture of a ballerina - lol they soon changed the image after that...

Another time a competitor used a pic we had taken as a demo of products that they themselves had manufactured.  On this one I just swopped it for a big image which said "I'm a big old image thief!!!" - In giant text and this displayed in their online catalogue for just over a month before they changed it...

Man some people are so cheeky!!  Hope you get it sorted 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_


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## blazeno.8 (Sep 6, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *MissChievous* 

 
_3roos has a history of picture theft from this website - beware_

 
Thanks for the heads up.

It appears that 3roos is a bridal/makeup forum.  Maybe I should put up bachelorertte party style picture.
It appears that the ava-kyrillos site is a Coptic site... I'm Roman Catholic and my image is somehow on their site??? I think I'll put up pictures of Pope John Paul II.  I think that these sights might be in Egyptian Arabic. It's either going to be Egyptian or MSA.


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## L1LMAMAJ (Sep 7, 2009)

aww i'm sorry this happened. is there a way to report this? how do u know when someone uses ur pictures on their site? did u just randomly click on the link? how do i make a watermark on my pictures?


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## blazeno.8 (Sep 7, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *L1LMAMAJ* 

 
_aww i'm sorry this happened. is there a way to report this? how do u know when someone uses ur pictures on their site? did u just randomly click on the link? how do i make a watermark on my pictures?_

 
The entire webpage is in Arabic so I wouldn't even know how to file a complaint.  I can only read a couple things like "name" and simple stuff like that.  I only know that someone is using my picture on those sites because I have a feature with my photo sharing host that allows me to see where "traffic" is coming from if any picture that is linked from my account.  Those two websites were generating more traffic on my account from hot linking than Specktra alone.  I didn't click on any link, I just know it's being used, but now they're going to have some fun looking at pole dancing instructions as viewed from behind.
It's immature, but if life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade.

You can make a watermark as a semi-transparent layer in programs like Photoshop.  It has to be a program with layering capabilities if you want a watermark and not just a stamp.


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## Redz24 (Sep 7, 2009)

Have you got in touch with them and asked them to remove your pictures due to not asking permission of using them?

Some people are so inconsiderate of other people's hard work.


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## Cinci (Sep 7, 2009)

I was going to suggest using using google to translate the website... When you search the site out on google - next to the site name there may be a link that says "translate this page"   then use that to browse the site and see where they posted the photo and if they gave you credit for it..   But I just searched 3roos and the translation doesnt work out for that site..  but I just thought I would mention that incase you ran into this problem with other sites in the future...

I just found a site that was hotlinking my images, and I did a search like this for foros.vogue, and was able to view their site in english with this google translator..  

It doesnt mean you can stop them, but then you can alteast see if they are giving you proper credit....  (if the translator works for that site)


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## cazgh (Sep 7, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *blazeno.8* 

 
_but now they're going to have some fun looking at pole dancing instructions as viewed from behind.
It's immature, but if life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade._

 
I love this so much!!  ROFL - I must be mega immature but hey they shouldn't steal!!

At least do something that makes you smile about it


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## LMD84 (Sep 7, 2009)

sorry your pics are being used without permission - some people suck!  but at least you get a little giggle out of it!


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## VeXedPiNk (Sep 7, 2009)

I can't believe people would steal other people's images like that... how sad!

That's really funny about changing the images though... what a great idea hahaha!!!


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## blazeno.8 (Sep 13, 2009)

It seems like on Sept. 6th and Sept. 7th there were some sites other than Specktra that were accessing my most recent FOTD.  That means that it very well could be a member that is doing this unless those access points are coming up from a search engine result (my image host isn't giving me the names of the websites that accessed the pictures, I think it has to go above a certain number before they list the name of the site).


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## InspiredBlue (Sep 13, 2009)

Here's another vote for switching the pictures for something embarrassing.

A friend of mine used to work for a GLBTQ-rights organization. They discovered that a hateful site was hotlinking images from their site, so they switched the files to pictures of naked men. I can tell you that hotlink disappeared _really_ fast.


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## Lapis (Sep 15, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *blazeno.8* 

 
_It seems like on Sept. 6th and Sept. 7th there were some sites other than Specktra that were accessing my most recent FOTD.  That means that it very well could be a member that is doing this unless those access points are coming up from a search engine result (my image host isn't giving me the names of the websites that accessed the pictures, I think it has to go above a certain number before they list the name of the site)._

 
I think all the forums where you post pictures of your face here are member only access, so it has to be a member, problem is like I found with a stalker on another site, they'll sign up and post like normal people until they can access what they want to


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