Image theft has been on the rise from the beginning of the web. The easy access to the internet and invention of modern devices has made it a piece of cake for everyone to copy any image from the web without permission. After the release of Google images and many other social bookmarking sites like Facebook, Pinterest, it has become even easier to steal images from the web.
We live in a raging world of digital technology, where modern devices, advanced means of data transmission, make it easier for everyone to upload, share, and download any image from the web. People like to share their beautiful moments of life on social platforms. Nobody wants their personal information to be misused. Still, it should be kept in mind while uploading any data over social media that internet space is prone to theft, and the same goes for your images.
In this article, we will discuss some of the main tips that will help you protect websites from hackers easily. So, without dragging it anymore, let’s get started.
Inactivating Right-Click
One of the easiest ways to download an image from a webpage is by right-clicking on them and picking the “Save Image” option. There are undoubtedly other ways to download an image from the web too. Still, this method is most commonly used. If you disable this option, then you will easily control less web-savvy image thieves from duplicating your images.
WordPress has the easiest way to deactivate the right-click option as you can get a No Right Click Images Plugin there. The mentioned plugin uses JS to deactivate the popup menu that appears when someone right-clicks on the image. However, if the users right-click on the link to open it in the new tab, then this plugin won’t disable it. This opportunity also enables you to display a copyright message or a different image when a person right-clicks on that image.
Watermark Your Images
Another significant way to protect images from theft is by adding up a watermark on them. This strategy will let people know that the image is private, and they may have to go through legal consequences if they use it without your permission.
The easy access to the web has made it impossible for a person to keep a check on his/her creation. Your watermark image can still be stolen as people can copy them and crop the watermark portion easily. But, you don’t need to get worried, as you can solve this issue easily. It is suggested to add up a semi-transparent watermark on the whole image to protect the image from theft.
ADD a DMCA PROTECTION BADGE
With a registered badge, you can access the tools, resources, and support to swiftly takedown any website that steals your content. Adding a DMCA badge can be costly, but you can do so through a WordPress widget. You can take help from the DMCA badge to ensure the safety of your images. This facility is based on American law and assists you in protecting your images from getting stolen. The badge works as a seal of protection applied on your webpage that deters copycats from copying the images without taking any prior permission.
Once you get a registered DMCA protection badge, you can easily access the tools, resources, and support offered by this facility to take down the sites that are using your images without your consent. The easiest way to get a DMCA badge is through a WordPress widget, as including a DMCA badge directly would require an extensive amount of money.
Easiest Way to Find the Copycats
The conventional way of finding copycats is a time-consuming and hectic task where you need to go through various online sources to check for your creations. The ample amount of time and effort make this method less useful. However, the use of technology for this purpose can be a great choice. You can find a plethora of online facilities that can help you track down your images over the web. There are many reverse image search tools available over the internet that enable you to find the sources with the queried image. Now, you don’t have to browse the web as all the work can be done with this online utility. The reverse image search tool discovers and displays all the sources that contain your uploaded image.
Final Words
The unfortunate truth of the web is the booming misuse of images and content without getting any prior permission or giving an adequate citation. The artists and professional photographers are the real victims in this scenario, as their copyrighted content may also get stolen. The ways discussed above to protect images from theft can be used to secure your images from these copycats. You can also use an effective reverse image online tool to find the sources that are using your images illegally. Once you find those crooks, you can easily take legal steps against them.