Safety Discussion - Using Your Photo as Your Profile Picture
Hi everyone! 😊
This week’s discussion is on one of the things which has come up a few times in previous room discussions, as well as in the forum discussion on profile pictures here - setting your photo as your profile picture on 7 Cups.
There have been differing opinions on this - some users felt that it is perfectly okay to use your photo as your profile picture, as long as the same picture isn’t found on other sites online. Whereas, some felt that it should not be allowed on 7 Cups as it could violate confidentiality.
Nevertheless, many agree that it’s a fine line, between being safe and being supportive on 7 Cups.
So, let’s dive into this topic!
Why is it okay to use your photo as your profile picture?
- To appear more approachable and friendly
- To show some of your personality to others
Reverse Image Search - what is it?
It is similar to a search engine, except that instead of typing in keywords, you simply upload a picture. The results are returned in the form of images which are similar-looking to the uploaded image.
This can be unsafe, in case you decide to use a similar/same photo from your social media/external sites as your 7 Cups profile picture. Someone can just screenshot your profile picture, upload it to one of the many reverse image search sites, which will return links to your social media accounts. That way, they can find who you really are.
Facial Recognition
These days, facial recognition is useful for identifying peoples' faces in a large number of images from a single given photo. It does this by distinguishing facial features.
So, what does this mean for profile pictures?
It means that it is easy for someone to use a single photo of you, to identify you from a bunch of photos, even if they are different. So, using your photo as your profile picture on 7 Cups is not really protecting you from being identified online.
Dangers of your photo being ‘stolen and reused’
There is also the danger of identity theft. What is identity theft?
It is simply someone stealing your personal identifying information (can be your email ID, photo, or any sensitive information), and posing as yourself using that info. Identity theft is commonly used to deceive others.
Using your profile picture is a good way to fool others into believing that they’re interacting with ‘you’, when it is really someone with malicious intent.
How to protect yourself and your photos on 7 Cups?
- Don’t use the same pictures you use for your social media accounts, as your 7 Cups profile picture
- If you wish to use a photo of yourself as your profile picture, make sure that the picture is not out in the ‘digital’ wild, i.e. has never been used anywhere else on the Internet
- Another way is to obscure your identity in your photo which is used as your profile picture. That way, facial recognition won't be able to identify you.
- A good way to show your qualities in your profile picture, is to use symbols. Here’s a useful post on this: Profile Pictures on 7 Cups: Staying Safe Online
If you have spotted a profile that needs to be flagged, feel free to report them here
Join our Safety Discussions taglist here to receive notifications whenever a new discussion is posted!
Resources:
- Profile Pictures - Staying Safe Online:
https://www.7cups.com/forum/safe7cups/IVSafetyResourcesEvents_1059/ProfilePicson7CupsStayingSafeOnline_192636/
Taglist:
@lovingRainbows2088 @CalmRosebud @MydogLiz8
@AuRewolf
Thank you Rewolf 😊
@WeEarth
You're welcome 😊
@AuRewolf Thanks for posting this, sadly I am not sure it goes far enough.
Over the 6 years I have been here I have helped a lot of listeners and members who have suffered because they used their real picture. A couple had stalkers turn up at their house (that actually happened to me once) I never used my picture again. Another had their photo stolen and used on dating apps. Often trolls would copy their picture and use it for their profile pic. Thankfully the latter was fixed quickly by 7 Cups Admin, but it still shocked the person whose picture was stolen and they left the site shortly after.
Nowadays not only can photos be reverse searched if used elsewhere, but now there is facial recognition too that can link similar faces together and identify them that way! Prospective employers often search this way to find out more details on their applicant. Scary or what!
But I am not here to scare, just to remind and make people stop and think. Personally, I am against using identity pictures for profiles especially for teens, and for adults unless they are an Admin or Ambassador.
If someone is using their real face for their profile pic then please do something to obscure your identity, maybe use glasses, a hat, or an animal face, and hold a camera in front of your picture selfies style. There are many ways of using your pic but making is safer just google ways and they will come up.
But also remember once a photo is online it is there forever no matter if it is deleted or not!
Listening - One Step At A Time!
Written with no AI
@MistyMagic
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, Misty 💙
It is indeed sad that using identity photos can lead to identity theft, harassment etc.I'm adding your suggestion about facial recognition thing in the post itself, as it is an important fact 😄
Also, thanks for sharing tips for obscuring identity if one chooses to use their photo.
Thank you, Misty. I fully agree with all your points, and really do not understand why Cups is still, after all those years and events, not adjusting their prompt on the user profile form, which explicitly asks people to post a photo of themselves. Or have they done that recently? Cannot check it on the app right now.
@cloudySummer
On the web, the following is the prompt for profile picture upload in settings:
"Please do not include pictures of famous people, sexually suggestive
pics, or cartoon pics. We recommend choosing a nature scene,
art/symbol/image (i.e. hope), or animal. The goal of the picture is to
express warmth, compassion, and kindness. While you have the option to
use a photo of yourself, please remember that our platform is anonymous
and to be mindful of your safety when making the choice to upload
personal photos. Images must be in JPG or PNG format and less than 5MB.
Thank you!"
@AuRewolf Ah, good, so they updated it at some point! Happy to see that!
The Guideline starts with "Please choose a headshot (picture of your face)"
@cloudySummer @AuRewolf
@HealingTalk
I see, so this is a guideline from community guidelines. I've already tagged @Heather225 to look into it
Thank you, Rewolf!
@AuRewolf
The instructions in the Settings for uploading a profile picture state that “you have the option to use a photo of yourself” but don't start proposing it as the first option. Last year it was changed after a similar conversation about this same safety issue in another forum, where this concern was raised. Before that, the instruction replicated that Guideline.
@cloudySummer @AuRewolf
I can't agree more, Misty. As I comment below HERE, I have known many horrible cases of harassment due to photos as profile pictures. This Guideline must be changed. No personal photos allowed, only drawings or photos of something else. Also, in my opinion, the instructions in the Settings for uploading profile pictures should not include personal photos as an option.
@MistyMagic
I strongly discourage using personal photos as profile pictures, particularly for women.
I have known many many cases of harassment in Cups due to that.
It can be a nightmare for those affected.
I think this Guideline should be changed to prevent it. The text "Please choose a headshot (picture of your face)" should be deleted. No personal photos, only drawings or photos of something else.
Many horrible situations and much distress can be easily avoided.
The cost-benefit of harassment vs. nice personal photos is overwhelmingly in favor of forbidding personal photos.
@AuRewolf
@HealingTalk
Thanks for pointing out the issue with the guideline. Tagging @Heather225 😊
You are welcome, Rewolf!
@AuRewolf
Thank you for posting about this!
@AuRewolf
A great post wolf! I had my own picture as my PFP but decided to change it as I was worried about it being on a site with a lot of strangers. This post is very helpful to newcomers and sets out the risks very clearly..
Amazing work (:
Izzy x
Let me make this short and sweet - We don't need a huge discussion about this, what we need is to try to understand why would anyone feel the need to use a photo of themselves as an avatar here. I've been here since 2016, and I have yet to find one user who considered important adding a photo of themselves here. In most cases people didn't want that, out of evident privacy reasons, nor was the way they look ever relevant to help them.
A good post. @MistyMagic raised several great points already, so I don't have to. (Thanks for saving me some work) I don't understand why anyone would post photos of themselves anywhere online these days...the young'uns do it all the time! They have no idea what risks they're taking.
@AuRewolf I'm with the against team here. As much as some people like to use their real pictures and I see the good side of it, I'm a bit unsure about it. On one hand, people use their real pictures on social media. So how is cups different? On the other, should we really use our pictures on public social media profiles? It is a bit hard to say what's correct. But given the site being focused on safety and is used by a lot of people who are going through a lot with strong rules against any kind of off site contact, members not being able to pm each other or teens having an extra protection by not being reachable by adults. I think it is a bit of a hole in the armour to allow the use of pictures of users. Why go through all the fuss of keeping the environment as safe as it is possible and then not address this giant leak in security? So in conclusion, given the values and operation of the site, I have to stand with the against team here.
@AuRewolf Can I also add something here, I am not sure if you will cover it in another post, but related to using photos for profile pics, there is the content of the bio and also what is said in PMs, rooms, and on the forums.
It is crucial for people, especially teens, to realize that information adds up!
For the most part we don't know who is behind the user name.
Discussing that school is bad in one chat and you are nervous of a play coming up that you have a part in.
Giving your date of birth and having congratulations on the forum.
Asking people to call you by your first name in the rooms.
All seemingly unrelated and innocent and normal information but suddenly we have enough information to search for that person's identity.
Listening - One Step At A Time! - Written with no AI!
@MistyMagic
It sounds a bit tricky to cover in a single post, but I will add this to future topics list, and let my mind think about how to put out information in an easy-to-understand way
Thanks for the great topic suggestion! 😊
