People are selling NFTs featuring stolen images of influencers and YouTube gaming stars

midian182

midian182

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What just happened? In what is the latest in a series of stories illustrating why so many people hate NFTs—both those of the gaming and non-gaming variety—it’s been reported that YouTube gaming channel presenters have had their likeness stolen and turned into non-fungible tokens, which are being sold on OpenSea.

TheGamer reports that an OpenSea user called StakeTheWeb is selling NFTs consisting of images showing influencers and YouTubers from across the internet. Popular YouTube gaming stars Jim Sterling and Caddicarus were some of those included in the collection. While that set of NFTs appear to have been removed by OpenSea, some items featuring less-popular influencers remain. Strangely, the cards include a unique URL that’s nothing more than the featured presenter’s YouTube channel address.

“At least, AT LEAST, if you stole my shit and tried selling it off, make it a t shirt. A mug. A clock. A thing. That you can use. And enjoy. Shilling off a profile picture for a collection you can just make yourself on a Facebook photo album is honestly a new level of pathetic lol,” tweeted Caddicarus.

“As gross as it is, I find it justifying - I did not consent to this, I do not want this, and it demonstrates everything I've said about how disrespectful and exploitative this market is,” Sterling said, before adding the word “Scum.”

Some users are doing more than turning an influencer’s image into an NFT and selling it. Santa Monica Studios' Alanah Pearce tweeted that her face has been photoshopped onto the cover of a porn magazine to be sold as a non-fungible token. The account, Adult Erotic Arts (now deleted), is reported to have offered several NFTs featuring photoshopped celebrities. “I cannot wait for the lawsuits,” said Pearce.

It appears that OpenSea has acted against both accounts in question. “OpenSea supports an open and creative ecosystem in which people have greater freedom and ownership over digital items of all kinds. One of our operating principles is to support creators and their audiences by deterring theft and plagiarism on our platform,” it said in a statement.

“To that end, it is against our policy to sell NFTs using plagiarized content, which we regularly enforce in various ways, including delisting and in some instances, banning accounts (as was the case in this instance). We are actively expanding our efforts across customer support, trust and safety, and site integrity so we can move faster to protect and empower our community and creators.”

The incident is doubtlessly going to amplify the anger many feel toward NFTs. Troy Baker, best known for BioShock Infinite's Booker DeWitt and The Last of Us’ Joel, went from being one of gamers’ favorite celebs to one of their most hated following his decision to jump on the NFT gravy train, a move that wasn’t helped by his tweet that read: "You can hate. Or you can create." But with the likes of Konami’s NFTs making over $162,000, and GameStop, Square Enix, and others getting into the business, expect more companies to ignore the outcry and continue pumping out non-fungible tokens.

Update: An OpenSea spokesperson responded to the story with the following statement: "It is against our policy to sell NFTs that violate the publicity rights of others. We regularly enforce this in multiple ways, including delisting and banning accounts when we are notified that usage of a likeness is not authorized. Furthermore, we have a zero tolerance policy for NCII (non consensual intimate imagery). NFTs using NCII or similar images (including images doctored to look like someone that they are not) are prohibited, and we move quickly to ban accounts that post this material. We are actively expanding our efforts across customer support, trust and safety, and site integrity so we can move faster to protect and empower our community and creators."

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/93014-people-selling-nfts-featuring-stolen-images-influencers-youtube.html

 
I didn't expect for NFTs get in something that might actually get them in hot water so quickly but here we are: Outright piracy is a surefire way to take down entire blockchains of the stuff.

Note that I don't see any big enough names on the list *SO FAR* that might cause this to immediately go to aggressive litigation but if there's something that we've learned so far from NFTs is that well, it's inevitable: seems like anyone involved in NFTs is always willing to push them far beyond the breaking point so I am just waiting for someone to try and make a quick buck out of a lesser know property from litigious giant media companies and then well you know what they say: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
 
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NFT's are the biggest joke in the world! Kudos to the inventors of this money making scheme but that's all it is. I will never see the point of NFT's other than creating a market to take peoples money in exchange for essentially NOTHING - except for perpetuating a Ponzi scheme where they can unload the digital junk to the next victim.
 
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BadThad said:
NFT's are the biggest joke in the world! Kudos to the inventors of this money making scheme but that's all it is. I will never see the point of NFT's other than creating a market to take peoples money in exchange for essentially NOTHING - except for perpetuating a Ponzi scheme where they can unload the digital junk to the next victim.
Click to expand...
That's because you don't understand them. Let me give you an example.

Imagine you're a musician. Rather than going through the hoops of parasitic publishers, you release your songs as NFTs. There are a limited number, so, the ones that buy the NFT can listen to it always. Direct income for the artist.
But since they are limited, not everyone can buy, so, the ones that bought the NFT (or the artist itself) can put the NFT up for rent. The ones that want to listen have to pay a small fee. Part of the fees go to the owner, and the other part to the artist. No publisher or intermediary required.

Another one... Much more simple. Imagine if every item in something like WoW had actual market value rather than only value in the game.

There's a lot of potential. The same rings true here, as with many things. Just because some people misuse it, doesn't mean it's bad. Otherwise we can start calling knives, cars, and the internet ponzi schemes.
 
FF222 said:
Wrong. We think, well, know, they're worthless just because we perfectly understand them. It's those who do not understand who think that these have any worth, beyond of course for clueless losers like them.
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Alright. Tell me how the example I gave above is completely wrong and impossible and has no actual value.
 
Governments stealing money from its own people being done on a daily basis..... how about going after those who actually need to be in prison rather than worrying about somebody stealing a picture to make $200....
Taxes that make no logical Sense, how about putting them on the gallows for stealing from their people, if guilty for each 1 year in office give them 2yrs in prison without the choice of parole...
When companies and reports start going to real stories the world will change for the better
 
The TL;DR is someone took the 'Non' out of 'Non Fungible Token'. What is that sound? The sound of lawyers laughing all the way to bank.
 
The beginning proliferation of NFT piracy and a quick way to make money. Remember the days of movie torrents and pirated dvds that were an all time high? Pirated NFTs and fakes will surpass it.
 
Kubecki1 said:
"Alright. Tell me how the example I gave above is completely wrong and impossible and has no actual value".


Copy, paste
Click to expand...
So you're not doing it. Says enough.

Puiu said:
Everybody should watch this even if they think they are familiar with NFTs:
Click to expand...
That video is biased from the beginning. That being said, it's not necessarily wrong, but, it is explaining it from the perspective that NFT technology is absolutely worthless, which it isn't. Let me try and explain why, in as baby-steps as I can. Because apparently, otherwise, all these people here that think they "KNOW" they understand NFTs, will still not understand. It's hilarious when people think they know something when they obviously don't.

The best way to understand NFTs is... Tickets. Anyone and everyone can create tickets. Everyone can decide to print a bunch of tickets or cards. That does not mean that they have any value. It doesn't mean they don't have value either. What determines their value is their source.

An organization that you trust can create tickets to your favorite band's concert, would you be crazy for buying it? No, you wouldn't. Would you be crazy for buying any random ticket out there that some random guy on the street printed? Yes you would. Just like anyone can create tickets, anyone can create an NFT.

What is the point? The point is that arguing that NFTs are a scam is like arguing that all tickets are scams. Those arguments are completely missing the point, and it is an extremely shallow and ignorant argument to make. Tickets are actually a technology. To be hating on tickets or pieces of cardboard or paper or ink or whatever would be stupid. Yet that is exactly what people do with NFTs. They take the worst case scenario and apply it to every single NFT. It is the equivalent of saying that VISA cards are just pieces of plastic, that the receipt of a store is just a piece of paper, that the train ticket is just a colored cardboard and so on.

You can create tickets for anything, with or without purpose. Just because someone can copy a concert ticket doesn't mean that the copy grants you access to the concert. That is the point of the verification of ownership of the original "position in the queue", as the one in the video calls it. Just like subscription card/pass for a movie theater can grant you privileges, so can an NFT. That same card/pass can be given with an NFT rather than with a physical card. THAT is the point of NFTs.

It is literally impossible to falsify an NFT due to its ties to the blockchain. You can copy the image attached to it, but you can never get the actual privileges that come with the ownership of the NFT (provided the organization guarantees those, of course).
If you still have trouble understanding this concept... Imagine someone copies the Mona Lisa a bunch of times and tries to sell it as the original. Everyone would laugh at that person. Some people will fall for the scam, but anyone that understands paintings will know that the counterfeit Mona Lisa paintings are worthless, or at least, worth not nearly as much as the original. The same applies for the NFTs. But NFTs are not limited to that. As mentioned before, it can actually have additional functions as well.
 
NightAntilli said:
So you're not doing it. Says enough.
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I think it's wonderful that YOU took all the time to "copy and paste" all this "information" about NFTs. Great initiative.

However, you have to be the actual owner of the object you're creating the token from.

With a copyright violation as blatant as the topic of this thread, you might even be able to petition the federal court for summary judgement.-
 
NightAntilli said:
So you're not doing it. Says enough.


That video is biased from the beginning. That being said, it's not necessarily wrong, but, it is explaining it from the perspective that NFT technology is absolutely worthless, which it isn't. Let me try and explain why, in as baby-steps as I can. Because apparently, otherwise, all these people here that think they "KNOW" they understand NFTs, will still not understand. It's hilarious when people think they know something when they obviously don't.

The best way to understand NFTs is... Tickets. Anyone and everyone can create tickets. Everyone can decide to print a bunch of tickets or cards. That does not mean that they have any value. It doesn't mean they don't have value either. What determines their value is their source.

An organization that you trust can create tickets to your favorite band's concert, would you be crazy for buying it? No, you wouldn't. Would you be crazy for buying any random ticket out there that some random guy on the street printed? Yes you would. Just like anyone can create tickets, anyone can create an NFT.

What is the point? The point is that arguing that NFTs are a scam is like arguing that all tickets are scams. Those arguments are completely missing the point, and it is an extremely shallow and ignorant argument to make. Tickets are actually a technology. To be hating on tickets or pieces of cardboard or paper or ink or whatever would be stupid. Yet that is exactly what people do with NFTs. They take the worst case scenario and apply it to every single NFT. It is the equivalent of saying that VISA cards are just pieces of plastic, that the receipt of a store is just a piece of paper, that the train ticket is just a colored cardboard and so on.

You can create tickets for anything, with or without purpose. Just because someone can copy a concert ticket doesn't mean that the copy grants you access to the concert. That is the point of the verification of ownership of the original "position in the queue", as the one in the video calls it. Just like subscription card/pass for a movie theater can grant you privileges, so can an NFT. That same card/pass can be given with an NFT rather than with a physical card. THAT is the point of NFTs.

It is literally impossible to falsify an NFT due to its ties to the blockchain. You can copy the image attached to it, but you can never get the actual privileges that come with the ownership of the NFT (provided the organization guarantees those, of course).
If you still have trouble understanding this concept... Imagine someone copies the Mona Lisa a bunch of times and tries to sell it as the original. Everyone would laugh at that person. Some people will fall for the scam, but anyone that understands paintings will know that the counterfeit Mona Lisa paintings are worthless, or at least, worth not nearly as much as the original. The same applies for the NFTs. But NFTs are not limited to that. As mentioned before, it can actually have additional functions as well.
Click to expand...
you still don't own the image if you just buy the nft
 
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