Flickr shows a little too much skin

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"There would be a significant difference between a company that is providing a free service and one that is charging an arm and a leg for air travel," said Joe Ridout, a spokesman for the nonprofit consumer rights group Consumer Action. "The kind of apology we would expect from an airline might be too much to expect from someone who is providing a service that is free for most users."

That stance might do little to appease one paying Flickr Pro user, who said he was worried he would lose business as a result of the technical problems at Flickr. "I use my Flickr account as a portfolio (besides my real portfolio)...so most clients, potential clients and some Flickr users do not understand a pixilated porno picture," a user with the Flickr alias Cybergus wrote in the Flickr Help Forum. "If Flickr can't solve this quickly, then I want my money back...People with pro Flickr accounts pay for a particular service."

Flickr users can upload up to 100MB of photos each month for free. Flickr Pro users pay nearly $25 a year for the ability to upload an unlimited amount of photos each month.

When a company fails to offer a promised level of service, something more than a written apology in a blog is needed, particularly when customer reputation and privacy is threatened, said Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

"I do think a company that experiences a snafu of this magnitude needs to compensate its customers in some way, perhaps by giving them a coupon that enables them to have a reduction in the cost of a service or an expansion of the size of files they allow at no cost," she said.

The glitch represents the latest in a series of incidents that have prompted complaints from Flickr users, some of whom were customers long before Yahoo acquired Flickr in 2005. Three weeks ago, Yahoo announced changes to the site, including one that will require all Flickr customers to log in using a Yahoo account, prompting outrage from veteran users.

Around the same time, according to Wired blog posting, Flickr users were also upset about Yahoo using Flickr photos for a new portal dedicated to the Wii game console without first getting permission from the Flickr users who took them.

[P. Jackson]

Get real, people

Yes, this was embarrassing. Yes, it was a bad experience for some, and the problem should be fixed. But suggesting that Flickr give out coupons because some big-spending $25/yr members got burned is just plain foolish. We have now gone from a blame culture (bad) in which everyone has to apologize for everything to a compensation culture (worse) in which every hiccup on the road to progress has to be righted by dispensing cash. Ridiculous. Flickr is still one of the coolest sites on the Web, and I hope they will weather this storm without leaking too much money.

[adlyb1]

Well...

A company or person *should* apologize for making a mistake. It is a basic tenet of civility and I don't think it is bad.

Of course, the other person should accept the apology and forgive the transgression. Yet another basic tenet of civility.

Should Flickr pay? I don't think so, but if they are going to allow adult only content, then they need to insure it is properly segregated from family friendly content.

[richardault]

Fixed.

According to the Flickr blog the problem is in hand, and resolved. This article quotes Mr. Butterfield in the 3rd paragraph, that the problem is solved. So all this concern seems a little misplaced. Flickr hardly has a history of these kinds of mishaps, so I'd venture they are sincere in addressing this problem. I'm hoping so, as I'm an avid flickr user.

[ashgilpincom]

fixed

Apparently this problem has already been addressed...no worries.

<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.ashgilpin.com" target="_newWindow">http://www.ashgilpin.com</a>
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.eyepinch.com" target="_newWindow">http://www.eyepinch.com</a>

[solrosenberg]

Where's my compensation?

I want to be compensated because I missed this opportunity. I'm always up for some free pr0n.

[glenn467]

big deal

problem discovered, problem fixed, move on.

[Hoser McMoose]

The real question here...

is who managed to capture and download all the "secret" pr0n stashes and where are they going to be posted?!

[sea_net]

Did anyone mention flickr is owned by Yahoo!?

yahoo are screwing up all the time, infact the whole company is in crisis talks about its future to deal with its rival google.

if it was going to happen to any company, it was going to happen to a company owned by yahoo!

now i would be looking at other yahoo companies offering the same kind of service and looking if those sites are potentially going to suffer at some point from the same glitch.

to be honest, yes it is bad what happened, but the bigger picture is this couldn't be better for public relations, now everyone will be on flickr searching for the porn.

what this article really says is "by the way, theres porn on flickr, go search on flickr for some and jack off!"

trust me, sexual reference key search words on flickr search engine will spike due to the media coverage about porn on flickr.

formally, its bad and shouldn't happen again and peoples photos were replaced, but its fixed, so ones mind thinks, lets go find the porn and have fun.

thanks cnet, and flickr/yahoo for your publicity stunt.

[thedreaming]

Give them an inch...

...and most people will take a mile. While most people use flickr in a good way, some people abuse the priviledge and upload porn. Add to this problem flickr's erratic picture switching bug and you got porn on people's pages.

The solution? A simple one. Fix the bug in the software so no more picture switching occurs and find the porn and remove it.

Like anything worth doing, it will take hard work, but it'll be worth it.

[regan2]

yes, people do have sex.

and your children will not die from seeing it.

in fact, they'll do it too. they'll also drink and smoke and do all of the things that everyone experiments with. the hope is, that you haven't been such a blowhard that your "model" of how to act is something they actually want to be too.

imagining pornography to be this huge problem is just stupid; and you look it for ranting the way you do.

[wone123]

PORN YES!!!!

they should have a x-rated section with advertising... it might actually be profitable!!

hopefully yahoo will turn this acquisition... with a profit

[o2mcgovem-20822100750713932708]

Oh. My. Gosh.

February is a month that's always busy in my family. There's three birthdays and a wedding anniversary. This year, my Gran was celebrating her (cough)th Birthday and we went out for a meal, then we went and saw a play, and then after that we went back to her's for a party. I took loads of pictures.

My Gran recently got the internet, so I uploaded all of the to an online service. I was going to choose Flickr, but Picasa used their Web Albums thing, so I did that. I'm glad I did.

I'd so hate to have to explain why a porn image was displayed instead of a picture of her blowing out her candles. It's just wrong.

[acampbell]

Get a Grip

You have several sides to your life. You do not show all of them to every one. That's as it should be. If you have a family, you too have engaged in some of the activities that were depicted in these images. But you don't show that side of yourself to everyone you meet. You are able to keep that separate. Sometimes a glitch happens. The bedroom door isn't locked and the child comes in not invited. It's not the end of the world. You just remember to lock the door next time. That's exactly what has happened here. Flickr made a mistake. It does owe apoligies to those it offended, but life goes on.

What I find alarming is the reaction of people here. Some are rushing to say nothing really happened, those images aren't that bad, no problem here. That's absurd! Something did happen. It shouldn't have happened. Flickr owes apologies. Flickr should fix the problem (and has). But on the other side is the voice of doom claiming I'm not sure what. That's absurd too! I'm sure Flickr did not do this on purpose. That would be the only real problem. The fact that Flickr has porn doesn't surprise me or alarm me at all. It does surprise me that the voice of doom, who is so horrified at porn reaching our children, has posted so many porn sites to this list. Is this list marked adult?


So everybody, enjoy a little frisson of horror or relief that your grandmother didn't get these images, have a good laugh at the embarrassment of all those involved, and go on about your business, remembering to lock your own bedroom door and assuming that others want to do the same.

[wone123]

the real problem... and its not a bug

the data is unique... someone probably pulled some strings

the Flickr staff is the problem.. why they allow posting of some and not of others.. I complained about thier verbage in the help faq about not being able to get your pictures posted... they used something like "dont be that guy, you know that guy"... glad they have finally removed it... after I complained none of my seattle hempfest pics would post........ go figure!!

[gggg sssss]

ninth_life

looks like CNet has pulled some of his posts - pity or not

[daretobestupid]

Flickr is...

its for weirdos, porn, bodies and feet.

Use the clean picasa web if you dont like your kids and family surf on weird pictures from others.

[Fil0403]

Flickr is...

...just the market leader.