A guy stole my pics and threatened to post them online!?

What can I do? In private yahoo messenger conversation he has stolen my pictures that were up on my display on my messenger and now is threatening me with using them and posting them online! He says I gave them to him but I didn't, I didn't even know he was taking them until he showed them to me! And he promised not to use them but now he's blackmailing me with them. He claims they are public domain becuase I had them up on my display but its a private messenger . That's not right!! He even took a screenshot of me on cam, and also has a picture of me and my daughter.

Answers:
There are limitations to what is public domain. Just because you post something on the internet or send someone somthing, it doesn't give them the right to post it all over the internet. Don't worry you have rights. If this guy is threatening you, that's against the law in itself and you'll have a good case against him if you can prove it. (computers tend to leave a lot of evidence). If the content of what you sent to this guy is of concern to be see by the public, I'd take some serious action and call a lawyer for better advice. It's seem like you have a family, so you should consider their involvement as well. Good luck.


unlucky.

Seriously... Use a little bit of common sense when chatting to strangers online.
cut his balls off...or call the cops and ask them what you can do...
what were you doing in these pictures and why are you so worried about it? you should answer this question 1st.

on the legal side. if a picture is copyrighted on the net then it would be illegal. im not too sure if what he did is legal or not but if you weren't doing anything damaging to your character i wouldn't worry about it. but then again, cam and private chat doesnt sound too promising.
There is nothing you can do-you should not have posted your picture publicly. Unfortunately you made it public. I'm just sorry he has your daughters picture as you never know where and how he will post it.
HOWEVER here is what I advise-set your messenger to record all conversations. You CAN bring criminal charges against him for BLACKMAIL -get him to incriminate himself and get the proof! Get a witness or two if possible.
I don't see what you can do..if they were online for anyone ot see then they can't be that bad.
As for the cam shot...you took the chance..and it's not illegal..but you could probably get a lawyer to try and stop him with a lawsuit.
Live and learn.

If he uses them for illicit use then all you can do is sue him...there is no crime here..it's a civil problem.
try

1) pretending to ignore him. it'll make him think you dont care and its not worth it.

2) contact the people online who deal with picture theft. (or whatever its called)

and in the near future, try doing what the celebs do with their pictures on myspace to prevent posers.

Put your name or whatever on the pic in a font that isnt easily covered up.
Are you asking a question, or are you trying to get us to give you the answer you want? It doesn't matter if it's not in the public domain; he obtained them legally and he has a right to post them wherever he wants. If you're really that sure of yourself, then get a lawyer to sue him, but I can guarantee you that you won't get anywhere because the law is on his side. So suck it up and move on.



In response to your message, I was just telling you what the law says. I wasn't saying that what he did was right or wrong, or moral or immoral, I was just saying that it was perfectly legal. I am familiar with the law. And if you can't face the truth, you shouldn't ask questions.
The only way he could of got the pictures is if you opened you album share for him. Then he can keep whatever he wants. I would report him to Yahoo for abuse. To blackmail you, he needs something in return.
I never share picture files, or keep a picture on my profile just for that reason. I would clear everything out. From now on, keep the pics to yourself. Once they're out there, they're out there..
If he threatens u with ur picture , it's an offence of blackmailing. The definition for blackmail under UK law is " where one makes any unwaranted demands with menace unless he/she has reasonable grounds and uses the threats tat he/she thinks is proper." But definition for blackmail in other countries could be similar and could also be different.

maybe can lodge a police report or seek for legal advise from a lawyer.
If the pics are really damaging and you feel it is worth fighting him in the court of law then you should get an attorney. I think the problem here is that you willingly shared your image with him through video. It would make sense then that he could record your videochat or take screen caps on his end with his computer.

I don't know what these images are, but you mentioned that he is now blackmailing you. That can't be good.
I can't figure out how it is legal for papparazzi to stalk celebrity girls, like brittany, and post a picture of her hoo hoo all over the internet because they snapped an upskirt while she is trying to get out of her car. There doesn't seem to be much privacy these days for ANYBODY. Cnn did a piece on a pedophile that stalks childrens events like wiggles concerts and parades, takes pictures of little girls to put on his website, and rates how cute they are... and it is legal. How horriffic.
Even if you can convince someone the photos are legally yours, once they are out there on the internet being shared by people, there's no telling where the copies are and how far it will go. It is like you can't take it back once its out there.

I agree with the other guy. The blackmail and threats ARE illegal, even if the pics aren't. So I would record the conversations and try to take action on that. Be like that beauty pageant queen that someone tried to blackmail with internet pics and just stand up to him. Don't cave to the blackmail. tell him to shove it.
It isn't private - if you have your picture up anyone can take it and do with it what they like. You COULD sue, but who would you sue? An anonymous nick? Do you want to go to the expense of hiring an attorney to file a suit against someone you obviously don't know?

If you don't want it out there - don't post it on your profile, your "private" chats or anywhere else. Just because it's called "private messenger" doesn't mean it is - that's fallacy.

NEVER do anything on a cam you don't want the world to see. NEVER post pictures of you, your family or your pets if you don't want them available to others, it's good common sense.

Yahoo! Copyright and Intellectual Property policy:
http://info.yahoo.com/copyright/details.
"It is Yahoo!’s policy, in appropriate circumstances and at its discretion, to disable and/or terminate the accounts of users who may infringe or repeatedly infringe the copyrights or other intellectual property rights of Yahoo! and/or others."

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