Pic ripper!

My cousin recently discovered a pic of me and some family members, dressed in our Peranakan best, on a stranger’s website. The photo was taken off an old blog entry of mine.

(No no no, we still had our clothes on, and I didn’t get my face Photoshopped onto some Playboy bunny’s body.)

While I was glad that someone’s created a website on Peranakan culture, I was quite shocked that one of my personal photos was used without my knowledge and permission. I was even more unhappy because my aunts, sister and grandmother were also in the photo.

I think if this person had the decency to have asked me first, I wouldn’t have minded so much. I do have a Creative Commons Licence, you know, and it isn’t too restrictive. You just have to ask!!!

I have half a mind to write in and firmly remind this chap to have some Netiquette. I appreciate my photo being used to promote my heritage, and it doesn’t look like a commercial site. But … ugh. I feel cheapened! (This is the page in question.) I wonder if other photos on that website were also taken from other people’s personal collections.

Some common sense guidelines to follow:

1. If you saw something you like on someone’s website, and there is a copyright notice, follow it.
2. If there isn’t an obvious notice, it is better to ask anyway. You might have missed the fine print.

Simple enough??