The #Stolenpics Virus on Instagram

.


I was just about to post about creativity describing how people work harshly everyday to define their own styles, their own touch and find their own ways.. When suddenly our Instagram Photo sharing Network was hit by the #StolenPics Virus.

It was not the first time, I heard about this terrible disease but, this time, the repetitive effects on users had to be analyze and it was probably necessary to find a definitive treatment.

I decided to dedicate some hours of my free time and some investigations through our fav network to this matter. Voluntary, this post is not focused in finding culpables and no @thieves_nicks will be mentioned.

It just a way to find solutions and a remedy to this threat.

.

What is really the #StolenPics virus?

.

#StolenPics virus in Instagram is the inadequate use* of a User Pic by another user which is not the legal owner of the pic.

*Inadequate use means you post a pic that is not yours in your stream and don´t even mention the author. There is some exceptions we will see later.

.

Why #StolenPics virus is more active on Instagram Network?

.

#StolenPics are usually very common in Internet activity since years now. Music, films, paints are not save in the net so you can imagine what could happen with pics. Moreover  when web tools like Google Images can easily find any type of photographs.

The fact that Instagram is based on users creativity recognition, through “Most Pops” rankings, “Numbers of Followers” and finally “global recognition” make the inadequate use more annoying than other platforms.

The more our network will grow, the more we will have to front different kind of virus in Instagram and we will have to solve them all together, by an auto-government.

.

How can I be exposed to #StolenPics virus?

.

You are more likely to be affected by #StolenPics Virus if you have good pics and you have yourself a high rate of “Likes” and “Followers”. The most famous painters have been the most exposed to copy and fakes! Take it easy! That would mean you are f* good!

You will be likely to draw attention worldwide and you will more exposed to other people eyes. The more people follow you, the more you can be affected by this unfortunate virus. But once again, relax!

.

Which are the symptoms of the #StolenPics virus?

.

Usually, a friend of yours, one of your followers or even yourself can find out that someone else used punctually or is using repetitively your pics on Instagram!!!

You feel first “astonished”… Then you turn white, red, yellow… You checked ten times it´s really your pic.

You start to blaspheme, write to followers, call a friend who is lawyer and think even about going to trial. Put him in jail!!!

Then, after a while and nice relieving comments from your friends you usually relax and take light actions.

.

How can I treat my #StolenPics virus?

There is many  forms of affection… The lightest form is easy to remedy.

.

Most of the time is the fruit of a misunderstanding or the youth of some users in Instagram.

Usually, the script is the following. A user takes a pic from another stream and find it very nice so.. he decides to repost it as it was Twitter… But of course, it´s not Twitter.. Most of all, if he forgets to mention (voluntary or not) the legal owner of the pic!

Generally, the owner duly informed asks the “unfortunate” user to delete the pic. The pic is deleted and the misguided user begs pardon in front of all the rest of the community. End of Story.

I do believe, it happens most of the time because of people ignorance of the rules of our community.. Cause there is really “no rules” and we make them everyday.

..

The hardest effect happens when…

.

… When you or one of your friends detect an improperly use of one or several of your own pics in another user stream. of course, your nick is not mentioned. You see this user is getting more and more “Most Pop”, getting more followers and do not worry at all of consequences.

.

You asked him several time to delete your pics and he just doesn´t care. He doesn´t admit your arguments and fails in being even rude sometime. In this case, the only way is to report through the “three little spots” to Instagram team, the bad use and wait for the user to be banned. The bad use of pics is of course punished by Instagram legal terms of course.

.

The other possibility is to write to support@instagram.com and wait for an answer.

This behavior may drive to the withdrawal of the user account and sometimes can carry big problems to register once again to Instagram. Some users banned reported me that they could not register to the app after being rejected once. Even by uninstalling and reinstalling the app and even updating O.S.

.

How can I prevent from #StolenPics virus?

.

It´s actually difficult to prevent from #StolenPics virus on Instagram. The only thing you can do is listening carefully to your friends comments and sometimes check out your favorites topics in “tags search”.

Most of the time, you will be informed by a friend.

.

How can I can avoid from being contaminated by #StolenPics virus?

.

You could be contaminated by the deep desire of using of other user pics! Please try to resist to the temptation!!

“Most Pops” and number of followers are not “always” the goal at Instagram!

You have to enjoy what you do. Enjoy to take pics and share them!!!

You may of course, be interested in meet “reconnaissance” and appreciated by your followers but you will not improve and really will not have fun by using other users pics. It would be definitely “short term” strategy!

.

Exceptions:

Some people at Instagram Networks are likely to use other users pics in view to promote “Contest” or “illustrate” an article or use it in a good way. Don´t worry! This is not an affection!

.

I use myself loads of pics for this blog in view to promote users or explain the life we live in IG. Each time we do, at Instagramers.com, we mention it clearly.

..

What can we do to fight against the #StolenPics virus?

.

Should there be a guide of the “good use of pics in Instagram”? Probably yes… Probably not.

As in our “real life”, common sense should overcome.

Even if new adopters may make mistakes, we will have to help them to get back to the right way.

.

If someone does deliberately wrong and use “shamelessly” other pics… The community will have to react firmly all together and set aside the black ship. It´s the only way. Internet and Apps are free entrance places where finally the community defines the rules and the punishment.

Our Beloved Instagram Network sanity depends on the care we will dedicate to it.

.

Tineye.com The final remedy?

.

There is also an unbelievable tool called Tineye.com.

.

According to our friend @refugee_p from one of the most creative IG group @acrew …

“You have to Know Tineye, be aware of it and learn how to use it. Every photo in this digital age carries metadata whether you like it or not.. It shows a series of tags and information even to a point of where, how and when the particular photo was taken. Iso/Aperture/even shutter speed all recorded for the user.

If by chance you post your photo in the Internet or in an app, it’s also tagged. Tineye is like a massive library of millions upon millions of photos and clipart images. if it’s on the web, it gets recorded to Tineye. Besides tracking down the ORIGINAL source of the photo, it also serves to protect and help track the ORIGINAL artist in terms of his/her stock photo royalties etc. So yes stealing a googled image is like stealing money…”

.

Tineye.com is a tool that allows you to upload a pic in PC or introduce a url of  a pic and the software will amazingly find out if this pictures has been published in other websites! Try it! It´s unbelievable.

You can also install “Tineye” in your PC Destop and in Firefox and Google Chrome as well.

As soon as you have installed Tineye, you can visit Webstagram, Extragram, Inkstagram and the Tineye will search in few second in millions of pics.

There is also another way, a bookmarket that allows you to verify the authority of pics in your mobile.

In some countries you can even download “Tineye App” at Itunes.

Remember… More info about Tineye:

On Google Chrome: Click here!

On Firefox: Click here!

On your Mobile: Click here!

..
.

The #StolenPics virus Conclusions.

.

First of all. Don´t worry! This is not the end of the world!

We are not going to die because some people behave wrongly…

But yes, we have to be strict and react in front of evil situations like the one we are fronting with #StolenPics virus. So get united and inform quickly to the owners of pics affected by possible bad use.

Respecting good behavior and “politeness” just contact with the user and if you don´t receive any answer, just report to Instagram team. It depends on all of us to keep our network clean and safe.

A respectful place of each other photographs. A place to share and enjoy feelings, passion and Love for creation.

.

Hope we will enjoy it in peace!!!

.

Thanks to @Myriam40a from @IgersFrance for her kind help in writing this article.

.

@philgonzalez


.

 

%d bloggers like this: