Can we make a rule about NOT posting stalker content?
 

This used to be an occasional thing, but now it seems like nearly every time we get nude pics of a cute girl at a public nudity event (WNBR, Fremont, etc.), someone uses facial recognition software to find/post personal photos of them at work, with their families, etc., often accompanied by captions like, "I wonder if [first name]'s coworkers know what she looks like naked?"

We know that facial-recognition software is ubiquitous now, and we know that anyone that wants to look this stuff up can easily do so. But that doesn't mean it should be posted here. This kind of stalking is well outside the scope of what this site has always been, which is sex-positive, pro-woman, and generally considerate of the human on the other end of the camera lens. What it's turning into lately makes me want to delete my account.

I'd propose a pretty simple rule: Don't post personal photos that aren't directly related to the nude event, unless the images were already in the public media or the person is already a public figure.

That rule already exists:

15. You may not post personal information about anyone seen here. No last names! Please do not post links to a person's profile on a social networking site. Our site cannot be used for any personal revenge scenarios.

If you find somebody sharing personal information about any of the images please report it and it will be dealt with.

Yeah, except that rule hasn’t been considered applicable to what I described above, I assume because pics aren’t “information,” and the posts don’t use last names. And when this issue has been raised in the past, the mods have just shrugged.

If all that’s changed, then I welcome it, and I’d agree we don’t necessarily need a brand new rule, as long as the old one is enforced with regard to these pics. I did see some posts were deleted today, so it seems like the opinion of the mods has come around on this. I’ll gladly flag other posts I see in the future, and I know quite a few others will as well.

Cheers.

You're correct, Flanker. Technically, these posts don't violate the overall OCC rules. The types of posts we're referring to don't include last names or links to the subject's social media accounts. Instead, people use facial recognition tools like PimEyes to identify someone, then post photos they find from social media profiles, workplaces, graduations, and other sources.

It's invasive and, at times, stalkerish, but it isn't technically against the rules. This kind of activity is common in other parts of OCC as well. The main reason we've tried to discourage it here isn't because it breaks the rules, but because it's off topic. The original posts in this thread were all based on images taken at the events, so bringing in unrelated photos from elsewhere significantly changes the thread's focus.

So whenever I report these posts, it's not because I think they violate the rules - it's because they're off topic for the thread. That said, a new rule addressing this behavior would certainly be helpful.

Thanks for the suggestion and feedback.

We don't condone online stalking. At the time we first launched this site, facial recognition sites and software were not freely available to everyone. This is another situation where our site has to decide how to deal with newly evolved technology and it's potential for abuse.

We will be offering more guidance about this in the future and how it will be moderated.

This thread will be closed while we consider how to deal with this issue.