Photos and Internet Safety

[40something]

Hey all, I just read through one 'particular' thread here and I just want to share a real life internet story.

Years ago on another site a member had posted photos of herself in bra and panties showing her pregnant belly. It was all innocent, she was very proud of her new found shape and wanted to share that happiness with the other expectant mother's on the forum.

Well...one day she posts that she happened to notice that her photo album was having an unusual amount of hits so she investigated it and found out that those photos showing her pg belly had been 'stolen' and posted to a porn site. That certainly explained why she was having hundreds of hits to her album and needless to say she felt completely violated because her face did show in the photos.

So, moral of the story is...be very careful with what you put out on the internet because people have all kinds of ideas. I never put my family photos on the net and I do not allow any of their schools or sport activities to put my kids photos on the internet.

What happened in that thread is just another case-in-point to show you that anyone can take your photos and post them where ever they like...or try to find you.

Be careful.

 

[scm]

It does make you think, especially now, see what happened here. However, just today I put my picture as my avatar. I don't see any harm in that.
Susan C.M.

 

[sparrow]

Today I deleted the pictures of my older niece and nephew from my picture trail. The little guy I'm leaving on for a bit. I may be paranoid but the thought of anyone using their beautiful pictures for anything icky makes me sick.

Sparrow

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage

 

[dlavie]

This isn't just an internet thing.

How many people have been embarassed over the years because they had nude pictures or videos of themselves with their significant other? The relationship goes bad and the tape/pictures become a weapon.

The digital era makes it easier to proliferate. Also any picture can now be "photoshopped" to alter the content.

You have to protect what little privacy you have left.

When it comes to kids, I shudder when I see a kid pictured in the newspaper with "John Smith (10) of Main St ....", talk about a setup.

dave

 

[acatalina]

Well, personally, I have nothing on there that i am ashamed of or embarrased of or that someone can incorporate as porn.
I love seeing everones faces and families.
I for one am keeping my picture trail.
Doubt if anyone would like to use my picture.Think they could find something better.
Anne
http://www.picturetrail.com/acatalina

 

[carrie123]

In addition to porn, KIDNAPPING comes to mind...It would also be too easy for a sick person, to see completely innocent pictures and track down the city and name you live in...And in some cases, hackers can track down any address your using and find anyone they want...Cases of kidnapping come to mind, very scarey...

Just my 2 cents

Carrie

 

[red_mct]

Ok, I have to admit, I have never understood WHY anyone would take nude or **eh-hem** other types of photos or videos of themselves with anyone!

 

[Miss Lee]

>Ok, I have to admit, I have never understood WHY anyone would
>take nude or **eh-hem** other types of photos or videos of
>themselves with anyone!


LOL! ITA!!

One thing I hate are these camera phones. I know there are many advantages to having one, but they can be and often are, a tool for nefarious activities.

 

[marnold]

Parents here is the proof that you need to know what your children are doing on line....this all took place near my hometown in Colorado. The world remains a scary place; the internet is even more so.



BAILEY, Colorado (CNN) -- The gunman who shot and killed a high school student after holding her and five others hostage had asked for students by name, a Colorado police chief said Friday.

All six girls were molested by Duane Morrison, 53, Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said, though he did not know if the hostages were the ones on Morrison's list.

Investigators were also checking rumors that Morrison may have researched his victims by looking at MySpace.com, an online community that allows users to post personal pages and network with friends, Wegener said.

Morrison sent a suicide note to a family member in Colorado, Wegener said, adding that police have traced one of two guns found with the suspect to the same relative.

Morrison shot 16-year-old Emily Keyes in the head as she tried to escape when SWAT teams burst into the Platte Canyon High School classroom where he were holding her and one other student. He had released the other four students one at a time Wednesday afternoon.

The suicide note may yield clues as to what led Morrison to the high school in Bailey, Colorado, Wegener said.

Wegener added that the six female hostages were "all molested, but I don't know how much or to what degree."

Wegener has said he ordered the classroom raid to end the three-hour standoff after hearing Keyes and the other hostage screaming.

Morrison had used Keyes as a human shield when the officers burst in. When she ran, he shot her in the back of the head, Joe Morales, executive director of Colorado's Department of Public Safety, told reporters Thursday.

Morrison then shot himself. When his body was removed from the classroom, authorities found a semi-automatic pistol and a revolver on him, the sheriff said. (Watch sheriff reveal what happened after the gunman was pinned down in a classroom -- 3:05)

Keyes was taken by helicopter to a Denver hospital where she was pronounced dead.

On Thursday police released her photo and the last text message she had tapped out to her family, as she was being held: "I love u guys."

Authorities have searched Morrison's car, in which he appeared to be living, the sheriff said.

Wegener said the suspect did not have much of a criminal history and only minor things were on his record.

Bailey is not far from Columbine, where two students killed 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves in 1999.

 

[cwsoxfan]

The events here opened my eyes too. I have deleted my one picturetrail account. They other I still share with family/friends who don't live near by.

I went to an internet safety meeting last night as part of my research for a project I'm doing. I was frightened by the things I learned there.

The detective said no child should have a My Space account, even if they have it set to private. I guess the way it works is that once you "accept" an online "friend" as part of your group they can see all your pictures/profile, etc. Who knows if this new "friend" is really who they say they are. So much for the private feature, huh?

They are other websites that are like My Space. Friendster, Xanga, and he mentioned an up and coming one called jmeeting.com.

There's so many important things he said, but I don't want to hijack this thread. I just think this last thing is so important. He said children/young adults give out way too much information. Somehow these predators can get them to tell their parent's names. He said predators then go to zabasearch.com and enter this information. They are able to find out where the child lives. Scary stuff!! :-(

Oh, one more thing for all you parents. You can load software that actually captures everything your child does online. Hopefully, it won't come to that for any of you, but it's nice to know there's ways to stay on top of it.

Thank goodness my kids are too young for any of this!!

Dallas

 

[Miss Lee]

Melissa, that is chilling!!

 

[red_mct]

It's terrifying. My 14 year old is allowed online only to play his one multiplayer game (which is geared more toward the teen than adult market or I'd never allow it, too much opportunity for wacko interaction) and he also occasionally uses AIM to talk to one of the four people on his buddy list (one of whom is me). The computer is in the family room so he can't do anything that I can't see. He's a good kid, though, and doesn't try much. We talk a lot about the dangers. My 15 year old niece, on the other hand, is going to give my sister a stroke. They had to delete her myspace account, but she's so sneaky so I wouldn't be surprised to find out she has one under some other name. They also let her have a computer in her bedroom, which I think is just insane!

BTW, Michele, I agree with you on the camera phone thing. I think it probably provides way too much opportunity!

Marie

 

[teddy16410]

I heard a dective talk about this once and he said that any parent who allows computers in their kids room has a 1 in 2 chance that their child is giving out precise info on where they live/school/age etc..... kids just dont have the common sense yet to know things like the name of your school is just as good as your city etc.... I pray every day for those of you w/ childrn, I sure dont know how you keep yourself together in this crazy world sometimes.