I wonder why people are putting this disclaimer on their profiles

[curiousagain]

I am seeing this pop up on more Swing Lifestyle profiles.

"Warning: Any institution using this site or any of it's associated sites for studies or projects or personal use, you do NOT have my permission to use any of my profile or pictures in any form or forum both current and future. If you have or do, it will be considered a serious violation of my privacy and will be subject to legal actions. "

I'm wondering what brought this on. Anybody know why?

[CXXC]

Originally Posted by curiousagain

I am seeing this pop up on more Swing Lifestyle profiles.

"Warning: Any institution using this site or any of it's associated sites for studies or projects or personal use, you do NOT have my permission to use any of my profile or pictures in any form or forum both current and future. If you have or do, it will be considered a serious violation of my privacy and will be subject to legal actions. "

I'm wondering what brought this on. Anybody know why?

I would assume (BAD IDEA) that this was brought on by someone using another person's picture on their profile. It is possible that someone copied someone's profile as well and that too caused the issue. Or it was an individual doing research on the Lifestyle that used a profile in an article that pissed off the owner. Lastly, it could have been a PI that was hired to investigate and Ex, a boss, whomever.

In truth, it is a waist of space. Once you post something on an open forum, you lose your privacy rights. It becomes public. The owner really has little say in the matter. Sure, he can bust the person for posting stuff without permission. the owner can eve ask that the admin take it down. Legally speaking, unless the idividual is using the profile/photos to pose as the real owner, there is nothing wrong.

I am not an attorney. HOwever, this was explained to me by one.

[bbarnsworth]

No ideas what brought it on, but it kinda makes sense.

I think the warning is pretty empty though. Potential damages are pretty limited. Not that I would ever violate someone's privacy period, much less in regards to swinging.

[CXXC]

Eek! I never thought about this. thanks for mentioning it BBarnsworth.

Mrs. CXXC and I are agianst using another persons photos or profiles for anything but personal enjoyment and would never post another individulas photos or profile, in part or whole, anywhere.

[JustAskJulie]

I'm wondering if it is directed at news people who often will show a page from a site like Swing Lifestyle when doing a broadcast on swinging. At least that was my first thought when I saw that comment in someone's profile.

Another point here, is that it really doesn't matter what you put in your profile, what determines whether or not someone can use that information is the sites privacy policy and what they allow. If anyone has any room to take action it is the site owner, not the site user. If you have allowed your profile to be accessed publicly, you've pretty much given up any rights to complain. However, if your profile is only visible to site members you have a right to complain to the site owner, at the very least (and I would do so, if you found your info/pictures being used beyond that site).

Of course, even the site owners can only chase so far. SO much on the internet is so hard to chase because of it being in different countries. I've seen too many sites come along and try to copy full pages from this site and others, take public profiles and build them into their own site as if they were a part of it, etc. Nothing surprises me, but there's very little you can really do about when people have no morals.

[slevin]

I figured it was one of those online chain letter type of scenarios that someone started on the swinger sites. Playing on peoples paranoia.

[LikeMinds321]

It reads like something the owners of SwingLifestyle may have posted on their site...maybe tucked away in small print.

I wonder if someone personalized it, added it to their profile, and think it will protect them in some way? Then other members see it, add it to their profile and away it goes, on and on.

Often, I think people post that type of jargon without knowing what it means or how silly and fruitless it is; they see it somewhere and think they should post it. I consider it another of those negative sounding things that shouldn't be on a profile.

BTW, to date, I haven't run across this statement in profiles.

LM

P.S. Good to see you back and posting, curiousagain.

[fun4Ds]

Originally Posted by curiousagain

I am seeing this pop up on more Swing Lifestyle profiles.
I'm wondering what brought this on. Anybody know why?

Someone found their profile somewhere else. They think this will give them some form of legal action I suppose

It doesn't though. We don't own our profiles, the websites do. We clicked (OK / I agree,) in the fine print of the disclaimer. Read it, its in there. We paid for a membership, not ownership...

[rpu3]

Someone found their profile somewhere else. They think this will give them some form of legal action I suppose

It's simply putting a possible picture thief on legal notice that the subjects of the photo do not consent to anyone else using the pics - especially on fake profiles, etc. It may not do "much", but it is notice, and it is advice that's been spouted in the media here and there, due to all the fake social media profiles that are often a copy of a real person's profile for whatever scam or game is being run. Stolen profiles, right down to the pictures and hobbies, are a big issue for the dating sites and social networking sites. The lawyers can go into more detail about the point or pointlessness of putting such a disclaimer.

I watermark some of my photos uploaded nowadays, just to discourage theft, but there's no guarantee. There's not much I can do about the stolen profile, other than report it to the webmaster for possible assistance.

But I do understand why some may be putting disclaimers on their profiles, and agree that others may have just seen such a statement, and added it to their own without thinking about it.

[two4youinswva]

I've noticed this on a profile I perused recently.
It is possible that it was the same profile you saw CA, since we're in the same region of the country, and may have some search overlap.

I think it's a waste of perfectly good letters though.

[curiousagain]

Since all three profiles had the same warning and it specifically names institutions and studies or projects as well as personal use I wondered if somebody's profile ended up being used in the news or an article on the web or in a magazine/newspaper.

Since they are all worded the same, I assume it is probably on the advice of legal counsel or copied from another profile. One profile stated that they encouraged every one to put it on their profile.

I agree, it's a waste of time but was wondering what brought it on.

[Ed & Bunny]

Originally Posted by LikeMinds321

BTW, to date, I haven't run across this statement in profiles.

Try doing some searches in Michigan. I have run across this in at least 3 or 4 profiles over the past two weeks.

[Speed & Trixie]

This "disclaimer" is posted on a LOT of AFF profiles, too. I know for a fact there are fake profiles on AFF, and multiple profiles using the same pictures (I assume they are all fake...but the pics came from SOMEone).

With so much porn available online, it seems like a waste of time to set up a fake profile with pictures that aren't you. Lots of AFF people seem to want to do the "cyber" thing anyway, so what's the point? Sigh.

Trixie

[Dave_kat]

We've seen this and actually been encouraged to post it on our Swing Lifestyle profile. We haven't run across it ourselves, but have heard of people's private pictures being used to promote porn websites and the websites used to scam people while responding to ads on other's singles sites (look at these successful members etc).

That statement doesn't give you much protection, but apparently makes people feel better by trying to maintain control over their pictures on a website.

It might be a waste of space as well, but the way a lot of these personal ads are written, heck, they've got the space to leave it there.

[Meetussoon]

What may be slightly more effective, rules of the site considered, is people who insert their screename over the margins of their photos. Some even ad the copyright symbol. This does not "copyright" your image, but may deter someone from using it, as they will simply move on to an easier image to use.

Tom