Ask Me Help Desk - Who can I contact if my pictures are used in a website? I never put them there.

Is there any number or help center in internet to remove pictures if they bin used without me knowing and without me ever bin involved with something like this in different country in some escort website?
What can I do to make them remove my pictures,if my phone calls is not getting any results?

First they are using your photo in a "dating" web site,

So someone is doing a fraud with your photo.

So they are breaking the law, know it and don't care.

The issue may be there is no law or if there is, no law enforcement in the nation this is happening at.

You can contact the web hosting company that does that company and report it,

You can report it to the police in the city where this company has their main office.

But realisticly, depending on where they are at, there may be nothing you can do.

Have your attorney send them a letter to remove the photos.

They are based in UK,they don't replay to my phone calls and e mails I sent regarding this meter,I live in Latvia,but
World is very small and some people can see my pictures there and its will effect my life,I have family and I don't want to get involved in things like this ever
Why people can use my photos and make money selling dates to some sick people using my picture what I made for myself and for private use only and never give it to them?
Its lie stealing
If I get lawyer and he will right them letter?
Why there is no way that I can make them remove it?
That's mean that internet is place people can do whatever they want to private things and no one takes care of things like this?
Its not a news paper its escort agency how can they do this?

No I don't have attorney yet,but I think I need one to make them remove my pictures
I just found out this recently,my friend contacted me 2 days ago and told me this,I made phone calls and e mails to that agency and they told me they don't know anything and still my photos is on that website
I can't let some sick people to use my photos like this,I'm mother and I can't let something like this effect me
I feel like they abusing me and I can't do anything
If they don't react on my calls and don't remove photos what is my next step?

First, are you sure these are your photos? Do you know where they might have obtained them? Second, if I understand you this is an escort site, so why would they use a picture of someone they can't produce to a client, that doesn't make any sense. And if the agency that the website is for can't do anything something doesn't make sense.

But you can try sending an e-mail to [email protected] to remove them. Other than that, you will need to retain an attorney to force them to react.

Something here doesn't make sense - how did anyone SEE the photos and recognize you AND what exactly are the photos and how/where did the "agency" get them?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottGem

why would they use a picture of someone they can't produce to a client, that doesn't make any sense.

Actually it makes perfect sense. Many commercial web sites use generic pictures of customers, employees, clients etc which are often licensed (legally) from photo warehouse companies. My employer's web site uses pictures of so-called clients and consultants that I know for a fact are not real clients or consultants. It's a standard technique for marketing material.

Laura - have you ever done modelling work for a photo agancy or advertising company? If you did, then you may have signed a release at the time that allows that photographer to sell those photos as he sees fit. But if you have never signed such a release then I would agree with ScottGem to have an attorney in the UK send them a letter demanding the photo's removal.

I don't see an action here without knowing more about how the photos came to be posted. There are issues of public domain, but I am the first to admit I know nothing about German law.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JudyKayTee

...I know nothing about German law.

The OP said she is in Latvia (not Germany), and the web site is based in the UK. So I would think this falls under UK jurisdiction.

Latvia? I read that but her profile says Germany. I assume it's one or the other.

I believe there's a difference between using photos from licensed sources and mis-identifying the people as customers AND publishing a person's photo on an Internet dating site.

Without knowing the circumstances I don't think a definite opinion can be given - this COULD fall into an "invasion of privacy" category BUT - where did the photo come from?

I have researched and researched UK law and find absolutely nothing.

Scott's the computer go-to person. I am hoping he knows something definitive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebaines

Actually it makes perfect sense. Many commercial web sites use generic pictures of customers, employees, clients etc which are often licensed (legally) from photo warehouse companies.

I think this may be a bit different. My company just did a redesign and that included pictures of real people from stock warehouses. So, yes I know that happens.

But my understanding is that this is site for an escort service. My guess was that the OP's pictures were used as a possible escort. In that case, it doesn't make sense to use a picture of someone they can't create a booking for.

Now, if the site was a catering site, for example, and the site included pictures of parties they catered with the OP as a partygoer, that's a different story.

But, its mostly speculation at this point.

Hi,I highly appriciate your all helping me here in this situation,sorry I didn't express myself right,yes I'm from Latvia,live in Germany for few years now,with my family,and my pictures I found out from my friend,is used in escort website,yes it don't make sense at all to me as well,when he sent me link and said to check this out I nearly fell off my feet,it was crazy,I saw my old modeling photos in Uk escort website.
Yes that pictures is mine and they are old modeling pictures,like from 8 years old shoot for swimwear catalog. I done some photos for body art and style magazine and swimwear and lingerie shop catalog,I think I bin published only in latvia,when I was living there,never published in Uk,yes I have lived in Uk 4 years,working as manager in art shop and never have bin involved in modeling after that.
I never signed any contract as model or before my pictures was published,its was my girl friend who was model and she ask me to join for some shoots because they were looking for some more people,and I suit them well as model and I had photo shoot,I don't have any contact with photographer or my model girlfriend,I have no clue how that website people got pictures,because only people I can think of had pictures is photographers and might be my girlfriend and me and even I don't have them saved anywhere,because never want to bee a model and continue modeling,I was interested in art. Pictures on site was bad quality,and can bee copied from paper catalog as well,I seriously have no clue about something like that,but it was like 6 picture of me,yes one more thing my eye area was blurred, funny thing you say how they can supply client for non existing person then my question is do you think Irina Shayk(famous swimwear top model,girlfriend of football player Ronaldo) works for same website??
Next to my pictures was Irina Shayk pictures,I didn't check all pictures on that website,but I'm sure,I can find some more,non existing people in this business pictures used in that site.
You see,that's so easy to copy any picture from internet or from magazien and use it anywhere,or someone can steal or find pictures and use that, my question- why there is no control of it in internet,if I find my pictures used in such a way why there is no one I can send report and they can deal with it,just sending warning to people,it takes lot of time and money to get lawyer?
When I made phone calls to that number on that website,that lady who picked up was pretending she don't know what I'm talking about,but in few days I asked my boyfriend to give them a call,he spoke to her very angry, said he will sue them and right report to police,after that pictures disappeared from that's site.
Sad thing about picture,once you have made photos you really don't have control of where that photos will bee used our days,in my case I have not signed any contract with any of photographers and any of modeling agency,I made photos ages ago and someone who had need for some nice photos was using mine,how they got photos, I will never ever find out that.Its no matter its advert for Church holiday or escort website,that made me feel very abused seeing my photos this way,I never given rights to anyone to use my pictures at any website and adverts except that catalog 8 years ago.

First, thanks for clarifying things. Second, unfortunately the Internet is a highly unregulated area. Because of the international and anonymous nature of the Net, laws are hard to enforce.

The next issue is the issue of contracts. Laws vary, but unless you had a contract that specified how the photos could be used its is very likely they were the property of the photographer who could do with them what he pleased.

It sounds like your boyfriend got them pulled so there is little more that can be done.

Yes one more thing forgot to mention,when I had my face book profile still active(dont have it for 2years now) I had some picture there as well from my old shoots,its possible that's someone who want to make bad joke or who visit my profile copy my picture?
Thank you for helping anyway,its good that all this end like this,now I will have paranoia that once I had photo shoots without contract my pictures can bee used anywhere. Sad and Crazy
That can interesting subject to start up something like a internet protection plan...
You sent me a email,if I want,can try to report that,is that a people who deals with internet law?
Or is there no such a thing internet law?

Right now there is no such thing as Internet law. It is an evolving area of law and there are some treaties between countries.