5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Online

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5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Online

Postby Taluun » Fri Jun 12, 2015 3:51 pm

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-ethical-q ... rs-online/

So people in the comments seem to be on the side of "dont post photos of people online". I am more on the side of gladstone I think in that I don't quite get whats wrong with sharing a photo unless you are actually shaming someone or doing something else negative.
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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby TwoSheds » Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:01 pm

I found myself generally disagreeing with most of his points. My reasons come from the perspective of a shy, self-conscious and surly young man and are obviously selfish in that respect, but eh, they’re mine.

I hate the idea of having my picture posted online without my knowledge. Despise it. One (somewhat irrational) fear of mine is going to a city like New York or Los Angeles and having one of those damned YouTube pranksters approach me and use me as a foil for their nonsense. I don’t want to be in your YouTube video. I don’t want my reaction to your annoying antics used as a source of comedy. Same with videos of people doing “wacky” things in public – I don’t want my reaction to you dumping milk on your head being used to make people laugh.

I understand the argument that if I go out in public then they have the right to post pictures of me. Let’s say, for example, I am just running to the local corner store to grab some milk. I know I’m going out in public, but I also know that I am probably only going to be seen by about five people on the entire trip, which affects what I wear, whether or not I shower, whether or not I change out of my pajamas, whatever. I can’t predict whether or not someone will take my picture and post it on failblog (do people still go to failblog?) and have thousands and hundreds of thousands of internet people laughing at my ill-concealed pajama-pants semi-chub.

I don’t mind being silly with friends and taking funny pictures and acting like a doof on camera. The difference is that I choose to do so because I feel comfortable around those people and in that situation and I trust them with that picture/footage. All of those factors go out the window when Michael Buble takes a picture of my ass and that mortifies me.
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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby ghijkmnop » Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:04 pm

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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby Popinki » Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:46 pm

Taluun wrote:http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-ethical-questions-posting-photos-strangers-online/

So people in the comments seem to be on the side of "dont post photos of people online". I am more on the side of gladstone I think in that I don't quite get whats wrong with sharing a photo unless you are actually shaming someone or doing something else negative.


It's an invasion of privacy, whether it's negative or not. Using G-Stone's "Hipster Carl Sagan" example, no, the joke wasn't mean-spirited or offensive, but that guy was just going about his business and had no expectation of being photographed. If it were me, I would be mildly annoyed that some random dweeb took my picture when I was just on my way from point A to point B, and that's why I wouldn't do it to someone else because I prefer to err on the side of not pissing off random strangers.

Two Sheds wrote:I hate the idea of having my picture posted online without my knowledge. Despise it. One (somewhat irrational) fear of mine is going to a city like New York or Los Angeles and having one of those damned YouTube pranksters approach me and use me as a foil for their nonsense. I don’t want to be in your YouTube video. I don’t want my reaction to your annoying antics used as a source of comedy. Same with videos of people doing “wacky” things in public – I don’t want my reaction to you dumping milk on your head being used to make people laugh.


The one upside to walking with a cane is that anyone who deliberately tries to impede your progress is immediately identified as a jackass by everyone watching. And if they persist in their jackassery, getting thwomped with a bright red Hurrycane would probably make their stupid Youtube video go viral for all the wrong reasons (and get me arrested, but it'd be hella worth it.)
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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby octoberpumpkin » Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:56 pm

I don't like it. Especially since it's notoriously hard to have pictures removed that you don't want, they may have been passed around to who knows who and where and for what reason and if someone posts a picture of me that I don't want, well I'm kind of screwed aren't I? Through no fault of my own. When I choose to put my own picture up I am accepting the responsibility of that knowing full well someone might post it on another site or save it or whatever and that's something I am accepting. But a picture of me someone else took? I didn't accept that and I'm not okay with it being shown. It doesn't matter if it's the best picture I took in my life. That's why I even ask permission before posting pictures of my boyfriend. He may not be okay with having a certain picture up and I need to respect that.

What I hate the absolute most is posting pictures to shame people. I hate hate hate hate hate it. Just like that "Don't Tell Me I Can't Get A Neck Tattoo" thing that I mentioned where the woman posted other people's tattoos online and stuff. Don't do that to people, that's a terrible thing to do and I will lose respect for anyone I see doing that. There's no reason for that type of thing. Everyone runs in to jerks and needs to vent about those jerks, but there's a difference between talking about anonymous jerk you met and posting their picture to make the rounds for the world to shame because he did something you don't like.
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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby sunglasses » Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:57 pm

I've done this in that I've taken pictures of strangers and posted them on my facebook. I saw a guy wearing a Paddy's Pub T-shirt and took a picture of him (from the back). I saw two adorable people eating lunch and took a picture of them saying I wanted to adopt them as my new grandparents.

But I've never taken a picture of someone for the purposes of shaming them except for those contractors next door who decided to use a racial slur while working. Ok. I did do that. I was really mad that day. But it was a shitty picture and they had hats and sunglasses on and I have no idea who they were nor did I really try to find out. I like to take pictures of people. I love taking candid pictures (to the absolute horror of my one sister). I think it really shows life. But that's me. I'd never post "revenge porn" pics or anything like that. I honestly had no idea it was a big deal. But I'll think twice about it in the future.

And for the record, if anyone ever contacted me and said "Hey, that's me, please take it down." I would. No questions asked. I also don't post pictures to blogs, etc or tag someone in a picture without asking.
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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby TwoSheds » Fri Jun 12, 2015 5:04 pm

octoberpumpkin wrote:Everyone runs in to jerks and needs to vent about those jerks, but there's a difference between talking about anonymous jerk you met and posting their picture to make the rounds for the world to shame because he did something you don't like.


This actually ties in to the recent thread about a woman posting a picture of a guy she accused of taking a picture of her kids in a store when he was actually taking a picture of himself with Darth Vader for his own kids. She accused him of a being a perv or whatever, that picture went viral, a lot of other people accused him of being a perv and the whole thing was just terrible.

Maybe that jerk that tripped you didn't know you were there and didn't mean to trip you. Maybe that jerk that cut you off on the highway was rushing to the hospital. Maybe that jerk that was manspreading actually has really painful genitals and can't shut his legs properly without landing in the hospital. You just don't know the context for these things.
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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby Popinki » Fri Jun 12, 2015 5:36 pm

TwoSheds wrote:
This actually ties in to the recent thread about a woman posting a picture of a guy she accused of taking a picture of her kids in a store when he was actually taking a picture of himself with Darth Vader for his own kids. She accused him of a being a perv or whatever, that picture went viral, a lot of other people accused him of being a perv and the whole thing was just terrible.


The Internet never lets boring facts get in the way of good old recreational outrage. The fact that there's real people at the center of it and suffering becomes secondary to self-righteousness and being right on the internet.

Maybe the gal in the booty shorts didn't realize exactly how short they were and wouldn't have worn them if she did. Maybe the subway guy's shoes hurt him and he slipped them off to get a little relief for a few minutes. Even if she did want to show off her tush and he just likes sticking his stocking feet in people's faces, they don't need Michael Buble pointing and laughing.

Also, what octoberpumpkin said about this stuff being next to impossible to remove once it's been reblogged and retweeted and re-whatevered a million times.
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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby Taluun » Fri Jun 12, 2015 6:45 pm

While I agree that invasions of privacy are bad I don't see me being in a picture out in public as an invasion of privacy.

I completely get and agree that shaming someone is a wrong thing to do I just don't see why someone would care about a random picture being shown online. I am a goofy looking person very much could be used to make fun of. I have had long hair for most of thenpast 5 years and will regularly headbang in public, whether I am walking, shopping, riding the train, driving, anything. My legs are so long that my hips are actually above my elbows.

Its not uncommon for me to out wearing toe shoes while doing all this stuff either. I amba perfect person for another person to take anpicture of and mock and I don't see why I should care if someone does that to me.

I suppose I will try and avoid taking pictures of interesting things in the future out of not wanting to piss people off but I still don't get why I should care.
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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby ghijkmnop » Fri Jun 12, 2015 6:49 pm

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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby Taluun » Fri Jun 12, 2015 6:58 pm

I fail to see how thats relavent but a few people have tried to cyberbully me in the past specifically because of pictures of me. My response to that was more or less what I said above, I just didn't see why I should care what they said.

I really don't see how thats relevant as it seems to be going into the "you havent experienced it so you cant possibly know what its like/have an opinion" zone.
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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby ghijkmnop » Fri Jun 12, 2015 7:05 pm

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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby Taluun » Fri Jun 12, 2015 7:14 pm

Like I said earlier I just don't see it as an issue of privacy. I don't see why anyone shouldn't know things about me. If someone were to misuse my image that would bother me, but I dont see taking a picture of me as a misuse unless they are doing it to shame another person.

I agree that shouldnt share private information and misuse photos, we just disgaree on whats regarded as private info and misusing photos
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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby CarrieVS » Fri Jun 12, 2015 7:16 pm

ghijkmnop wrote:As a human being, nobody has a right to know anything about me without my allowing it first.


However, if you are in public, you are allowing anyone at all to see you and see what you're doing.
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Re: 5 Ethical Questions On Posting Photos Of Strangers Onlin

Postby ghijkmnop » Fri Jun 12, 2015 7:21 pm

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