Flickr Founder Calls Nuked User 'A Dick' , page 1

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Topic started on 15-6-2009 @ 01:18 AM by schrodingers dog

Note: The thread title is directly quoted from the title of cited article

First allow me to provide a little background to this story.

Flickr user Shepherd Johnson was browsing the official White House photostream one night when he decided to post a politically-charged comment. Then another, then another. Soon, without warning, Yahoo's photo-sharing service deleted his account, complete with 1,200 pictures.

An unrepentant Yahoo won't say what, exactly, Johnson did wrong. His comments were about Barack Obama's support of a bill allowing the government to suppress torture photos. They were attached to seemingly relevant images from the president's recent trip to Cairo to ring in a new era of U.S.-Middle Eastern relations.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Yahoo Nukes Man's Photos Over Obama Comments

The bill Mr. Johnson was referring to is:

Obama's support for the new Graham-Lieberman secrecy law

The White House is actively supporting a new bill jointly sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman -- called The Detainee Photographic Records Protection Act of 2009 -- that literally has no purpose other than to allow the government to suppress any "photograph taken between September 11, 2001 and January 22, 2009 relating to the treatment of individuals engaged, captured, or detained after September 11, 2001, by the Armed Forces of the United States in operations outside of the United States." As long as the Defense Secretary certifies -- with no review possible -- that disclosure would "endanger" American citizens or our troops, then the photographs can be suppressed even if FOIA requires disclosure. The certification lasts 3 years and can be renewed indefinitely. The Senate passed the bill as an amendment last week.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Let that sink in for a second ... we will come back to it later.

Flickr's public response in this matter is as follows:

In accordance with Flickr's policy, we cannot disclose information to third parties concerning a member's account. However, in joining Flickr, all of our members agree to abide by our Community Guidelines. These guidelines require that all of our members be respectful of the community and flag content that may not be suitable for "safe" viewing. Our members have always done a great job of identifying inappropriate and offensive content on Flickr and bringing it to our attention. We encourage all members to continue to make Flickr a safe place to share photos and videos.

Flickr is a very large community made up of many types of members from all over the world, and we respect the viewpoints and expressions of all of our members. In crafting the Community Guidelines, Flickr weighed the rights of the individual vs. the rights of the overall community, and built a system that would enable members to choose what they want to view. As with any community, online or off, there are members who may disregard the Community Guidelines. When this happens, Flickr may have to take action accordingly towards building a respectful community. *

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

But the story doesn't end there ...

Johnson, obviously distraught at the flagrant censorship communicated with Flickr's (owned by Yahoo) customer service and was offered placation via a $25 gift card.

That's when he decider to contact Flickr's founder Stuart Butterfield.

Here's their communication:

Flickr Founder Calls Nuked User 'A Dick'

Oh dear ...

Now I know what some of you are going to say. Flickr/Yahoo is a private company and they should be allowed to control their content. Except that Flickr has yet to tell M.r. Johnson what specific aspect of their terms and condition he has breached.

Johnson, who lives outside Richmond, still has no answers. More crucially, he also doesn't have access to any of the 1,200 pictures he uploaded to Flickr under his paid "Pro" membership.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

They're even contending that they "lost" his images even though they were stored in his premium account.

This is as blatant as censorship gets folks, and to make matters worse, as stated above, there is a bill considered to make all this nice and neat.

Consider the implications ...

Consider them good.

Also I urge you to take the time to read the following important related article:

Flickr: Setting limits for online speech

The information in this post and related links provided via cryptome.org

[edit on 15 Jun 2009 by schrodingers dog]

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 01:28 AM by Scooby Doo

Maybe imposing a suspension of his account for further investigation would have been a lot more appropriate then completely closing his entire account.

P.S - Sorry SDog, I was going to "U2U" you back but the function is disabled until I have atleast 20 posts...

woof woof, Scooby

[edit on 15-6-2009 by Scooby Doo]

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 01:39 AM by secretagent woooman

I'd like to see documentation of all his conversations with that company and also would like to know if he has a past history with them. The way that message was worded sounds like he is a familiar face.

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 01:43 AM by drwizardphd

Ok, this is pretty messed up.

Banning him for his comments is one thing, and completely within their right.

However, he paid for his membership, and as a result of his banning lost over a thousand of his photos? They need to make those images available to him, to download or otherwise, immediately!

I am an artist, as well as an amateur photographer. Personally, I back up and store my scans and photographs as well as hosting them online. However, if my online provider 'lost' all of my works, I would be infuriated! Especially if that was my only backup. Photographs are intellectual property, and Flickr owes it to this man to give him access to his works.

The real lesson here is not to depend on websites like Flickr or Photobucket to host your works, and to be certain to have suitable backups of everything you shoot, especially if you treasure your creations.

(off topic) Schrodinger I love your avatar!

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 01:46 AM by whoshotJR

The Flickr founder he emailed replied back stating he doesn't even work for them anymore and hasn't for a year. The e-mail he sent IMO is awesome and was probably what needed to be said. Just like on ATS, don't piss off the staff and don't be a dick to members and your time will go by without a problem.

I forgot though that I know live in the bizarro world were people can do what ever they want and then feel wronged when they have a consequence they don't like. People think freedom of speech means they can say what they want, they forget that it doesn't mean the big guy at the end of the bar may wont give you a fat lip for it.

Why is this news?

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 01:50 AM by schrodingers dog

reply to post by whoshotJR

I urge you to reread the OP, especially the links referring to the proposed legislation and the Business Week article.

You might also want to consider backing off from the trees just a tad. There's a pretty forest right behind them.

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 01:57 AM by whoshotJR

reply to post by schrodingers dog

The legislation is mutually exclusive to the issue at hand IMO so I didn't comment on it. The thread is also misleading because it tries to convey the founder as the speaker for the company when he no longer works there.

Nice effort put into presentation though and I will star and flag to get more views. I'm sure most will disagree with my view so maybe I can draw a few more in to backup your view point with the flag.

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 01:58 AM by TravelerintheDark

In no way is this a reflection of my view on censorship, rather it is my view on entering into a legal contract which most likely implies the potential for censorship.

The guy could be a dick.

I've read enough of those 'user agreements' to suspect this one said much the same that they all do. In effect that accounts may be terminated without notice and he is entitled to nothing. I didn't see a link to the flickr user agreement, so I'm guessing, but it would be pretty standard. And after the recent judgment in favor of such online agreements being perfectly legal well...

The moral of the story is be careful what you agree to.

Edited to add: As for the suppression of detainee photos, I'm not sure why anyone but a court would need to see them anyway, and like that was ever going to happen. Sorry, but I'm neither shocked nor appalled. The US government has been suppressing information and jailing 'dissenters' without trial during 'wartime' since likely as far back as the Revolutionary War, but most certainly the Civil War so I'm not sure why anyone would be surprised.

[edit on 15/6/09 by TravelerintheDark]

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 02:04 AM by schrodingers dog

Originally posted by whoshotJR
reply to post by schrodingers dog

The thread is also misleading because it tries to convey the founder as the speaker for the company when he no longer works there.

That piece of information is available to anyone reads the cited links. I'm not quite sure how that is misleading.

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 02:08 AM by LordBaskettIV

So does he get a refund? How can you ban someone if they pay?

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 02:17 AM by RuneSpider

Originally posted by LordBaskettIV
So does he get a refund? How can you ban someone if they pay?

Easy, you put into the agreement exactly what a member can expect from the company as long as they abide by certain regulations, and it's included what will happen if you violate said regulations.
The T&C on sites is as binding a contract as you would sign on paper.

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 11:34 AM by Daedalu

It would do people well to stop using Private company's that have a political agenda .

Also on there sign up agreements , all that I have read make them libel for nothing and they can take your money and have to do nothing. Some even go as far to put in that you can not take them to court .

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 11:34 AM by whoshotJR

Originally posted by schrodingers dog

Originally posted by whoshotJR
reply to post by schrodingers dog

The thread is also misleading because it tries to convey the founder as the speaker for the company when he no longer works there.

That piece of information is available to anyone reads the cited links. I'm not quite sure how that is misleading.

It's misleading because it makes it sound like Flikr the company called the kid a dick and then shut him off. Sure it's clarified by reading through the article but its just a sensational title to grab readers yet really has no baring on the facts of the story. Who cares if an ex employee called somebody a dick.

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 03:13 PM by schrodingers dog