Who Are Stealing Images? – Ways To Protect Online Images Being Stolen

Image theft is a common phenomenon in this digital world. From product images to personal pictures and infographics, nothing is safe once it is uploaded on the web. Most scammers, bloggers, and others who are not creative enough to develop or capture unique photos take advantage of those uploaded by someone else.

It has become essential for graphical content creators to protect their images to avoid people from misusing them or claiming the authority of creative and artistic work. Scammers can use them for financial or emotional gains if they aren’t protected. Although not everyone steals images to harm people, content creators should always be aware of where their pictures are posted and who is claiming their authority. Otherwise, they may not be able to get the appreciation they deserve for their work.

Locate Who is Using Your Pictures

The days are long gone when you were only allowed to find some data using text as input queries on search engines. Now, you can also use images as search input queries. The search engines will then display the results based on the similarities. That process is called “reverse image search.”

Multiple online photo search facilities can assist users in locating where their graphical content is uploaded over the internet. In fact, almost every big search engine, including Bing, Yahoo, Google, etc., has introduced this facility. You can use any of them. However, as every search engine shows different results, it could be harder for you to know which is the best. That’s where some small but worthwhile companies’ reverse image searches can come in handy.

For example, the most well-known platform DupliChecker has introduced its image search facility where users can discover where similar images are uploaded. It shows the results from multiple search engines in one place. If the users are unsatisfied with the results of one platform, they can immediately close it and explore the other ones. They don’t need to open every single platform and upload pictures to everyone.

Ways to Protect Images Being Stolen!

In this world where stealing images has become more accessible, some effective and practical ways are immensely helpful to protect the images from being copied, plagiarized, or stolen. This article will highlight those ways!

So, here are the best solutions you have to protect your images!

Apply Prominent Watermark

Watermarking is the process of inserting text, logo, or anything else in graphical content, including pictures, gifs, and even videos. Most people apply watermarks to their work to claim authority or to indicate who is the person behind that creation. Furthermore, some also add watermarks to protect their images from being exploited by anyone.

Those who cannot afford to get the copyrights of an image can get assistance from this method. Usually, the graphical content stealers cannot use the images with watermarks in their favor. The main issue is that the watermarks show which company, individual, or organization has the authority over that picture. Furthermore, when you add a prominent watermark to your photographs or product images, no one can use them to scam others on your name. However, you should remember that the watermarks should be prominent so every person who watches the picture may know about its existence. It should also have a URL or user name of your website or social media page so that whenever a person watches it, they may contact you in case of any scam attempt.

Get Copyrights

Getting the copyright license for every productive work is essential to keep scammers, stealers, and others away from your images. When you get a copyright license and point out that you have the license for a particular picture, no one will dare to use or even use your data without your consent. That’s how you can easily save your images.

If someone steals it from any channel and tries to use it for their gain, they will have to face severe repercussions, which could lead them to heavy fines or imprisonment, depending on the circumstances. Those who know the pitfalls of copying or using copyrighted images don’t steal them at any cost.

However, getting the copyrights isn’t enough sometimes. It can help if you also mention that you own these rights. That’s how you ensure that no one tries to copy your images.

Don’t Post Images in the Highest Resolution

If your creative work is for sale, don’t ever post pictures on platforms in the highest resolution available. When you upload a photo on any platform with high resolution, it will provide an opportunity for every content stealer to download or save the image in that resolution, and they won’t need to purchase its license.

When you and any other person have a picture of the same quality, you won’t be able to sell the work at your desired price as the other person can reduce the price in the online market. So, no one will buy it from you as they can buy it at a lower cost.

Take Legal Actions Against Content Stealers

Only locating the websites where your images are uploaded isn’t enough. You may ask them to remove pictures. But what if they refuse to take them down? Here comes the best solution, take legal action.

If someone is continuously uploading pictures that belong to you, it is essential to take some legal action against them. Otherwise, their efforts will encourage others to copy your images and embezzle them. However, when you take some legal and practical action against one person, you will be able to alarm others.

Once you know which websites have been using your copyright material, you have several options. The first way is to hire a lawyer and send a legal notice. That notice will help you get compensation or send the fraudster to jail for copyright infringements. The other option is to ask Google and other search engines to remove that particular content. The engines will ask a few questions, and if you own the rights to the images, they will take action and take that content down from their engines within a few seconds.

Limit Downloading Options

If you don’t want others to copy and use your data, don’t let them get their hands on it. Limiting the downloading options allows you to protect every single file from being copied or misused easily. Remember that you cannot restrict downloading, saving, and screenshot options on most social networking websites. However, you can do it when you upload pictures on your websites.

When no one can save their pictures on their devices, they can never use them for any purpose. That’s why it is considered among the best ways to protect images from being stolen.

Bottom Line

Once any image or other data is uploaded online, it doesn’t remain in anyone’s control. People can use that data for any purpose, some can support or appreciate the creators, and many others can use it for scamming purposes. However, there are multiple ways to limit the harmful use of that particular data. Most of the practical methods discussed in this article allow people to protect their data without their consent.