Stealing Bandwidth/Uncredited Images

**jnakamura** · 01-27-2013, 02:12 AM

It's common courtesy and standard internet protocol that when you post, via a hotlink, to someone's photo, and are using their bandwidth, that you provide a link back to that person's source page which is hosting the image. Also, if you save an image and upload it here, that you credit the photo to its original source. This is practically an epidemic here and is no different than posting an article without a link to its source or who wrote it. It's basically photo plagiarism.

My suggestion is that if this isn't already a rule of conduct here, it should be, and should be made clear in some way, and of course, enforced.

**Jackaroo Dave** · 01-27-2013, 05:54 PM

As part of making clear, instructions and an example of the text commands would help make this work. If it's no hassle, people will do the right thing. If there's a hassle and no consequences for doing the wrong thing, they won't.

I'd think enforcement would be a real headache, so widespread dissemination of the policy and education about the methods might be preemptive. Then the community can do the enforcing. People here love to share (display?) their knowledge, so if it becomes as commonplace as calculating OPS+, your worries are over.

**Blue387** · 01-27-2013, 05:56 PM

I usually try to link to images from the New York Post in order to intentionally steal their bandwidth.

**Captain Cold Nose** · 01-28-2013, 04:43 AM

I know we had some sort of issue with Getty images a while back. They were being posted without permission and a stop was put to that by an admin, I believe, at his own doing.

I'm all for crediting the appropriate source whenever necessary.

**Macker** · 01-28-2013, 06:36 AM

Yes, Getty Images has made it known that their images are not to be posted here without their permission (and I wouldn't count on them granting permission.) If I see any Getty Images, I delete them and inform the poster. If the poster continues to post Getty Images after a couple of reminders, the poster will be suspended. The site owner will err on the side of caution when the issue of copyright infringement is involved.

Macker
Admin

**bluesky5** · 02-07-2013, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by Macker

Yes, Getty Images has made it known that their images are not to be posted here without their permission (and I wouldn't count on them granting permission.) If I see any Getty Images, I delete them and inform the poster. If the poster continues to post Getty Images after a couple of reminders, the poster will be suspended. The site owner will err on the side of caution when the issue of copyright infringement is involved.

Macker
Admin

You play in the 'Macker' basketball tournaments?

**Gary Dunaier** · 02-07-2013, 11:34 PM

It's possible that a lot of people don't understand when they are hotlinking. I know I don't. When I post my photos that are on Flickr, I go to the image on Flickr, right-click the image, click "Properties," then copy the entire address (URL), and paste it in an IMG code here, like so:

(IMG)http//farm4.staticflickr.com/3302/3537565999_cbe3a754f5_z.jpg(/IMG)

Had I used [] instead of (), and not deleted the colon after "http," an actual image would have appeared in that spot. Anyway, is that what is meant by hotlinking?

**jnakamura** · 02-08-2013, 12:03 AM

Yes. "Hot linking" is posting a photo that is being hosted on another site and using that other site's bandwidth. That's one reason why more and more Flickr members are disabling the ability to download photos on their photostreams. This prevents hot-linking and makes harder the unauthorized use of their photos and bandwidth.

Most people don't have a problem with directly linking to their photos IF you provide a link under the photo that not only provides proper credit, but also takes you to the page that is hosting the image...for example:

Bad etiquette:

5651412799_33afbd698c_z.jpg

Good etiquette:

5651412799_33afbd698c_z.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kycheng/5651412799

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