Is anyone worried about some web scraper going through a site like Oscraps to train AI?

[hoodsmom]

I just read a disturbing article that was several months old. It said that some big outfit discovered a security flaw in Flickr and was able to scrape images including those set to private for the purposes of training AI for facial recognition. Flickr has since patched the vulnerability. I am pretty cautious about what I put in the gallery but some of my journaling has included family members' first names + vacation locations on the same page. I can't imagine that a web scraping outfit would go after Oscraps when there are much better targets such as Facebook and Instagram where people post stuff not set to private pretty willy-nilly, but now I have a grandkid and understandably his parents want to lock down images of him. I would hate to think that I have to blur the faces of live people in my LO's before posting in the gallery (that seems like unnecessary paranoia on my part and it also takes the joy out of posting). But I did find the article disturbing.

If you're interested in data privacy where children are concerned you can search for "Leah Plunkett Sharenthood" at NPR.

 

[Betty Jo]

I'm a long-time member of Flickr, and have seen similar articles, and I find them disturbing too. I don't post any personal photos on Flickr. I rarely use a real photo in my scrap pages anymore, since reading other similar articles. Now, I simply create my pages as art, keeping the personal ones, well, personal.

 

[Terri M]

I wish the gallery were only visible to people who logged in to Oscraps. Not a failsafe solution. I understand that from a sales perspective, it makes sense to make the items created from the products you sell visible to prospective customers. But maybe there could be a section that's open and one that's behind a login.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

We take this chance every time we post our layouts/projects online. I'm hoping that as long as they're downsized ( is 600x600) and flattened, they can't do much with them, but I could be wrong. That being said, everything I have on Flickr are in private albums. I've been on Flickr since 2008 and my camera roll is private, as are my albums. I use Flickr mostly as a place to store my photos and layouts. I would hate to think that I pay for Premium Membership and somebody can still get to my projects!

 

[AK_Tracy]

I have no seen these articles, nor am I a Flickr user. I do worry. I pretend that everything I post online will be see by everyone. I know the scrap album for personal LO here is private and you must be logged in to see, but not the challenge LO folders. So I do pick and choose what I use. I do "mask" and blur my kids/grands out. My family has asked not to be stars and I respect that. I still show the photos just add additional elements to cover them. I see it as a fun way to play around, how creative can I be and still show the work of a LO. I don't like the thought of AI and its scary what could happen.

 

[hoodsmom]

We take this chance every time we post our layouts/projects online. I'm hoping that as long as they're downsized ( is 600x600) and flattened, they can't do much with them, but I could be wrong. That being said, everything I have on Flickr are in private albums. I've been on Flickr since 2008 and my camera roll is private, as are my albums. I use Flickr mostly as a place to store my photos and layouts. I would hate to think that I pay for Premium Membership and somebody can still get to my projects!

AI does a remarkable job enlarging things, so our 600x600 size isn't a fail safe. OTOH, it's just one more reason why Oscraps shouldn't be a big target for web scrapers. But I'm glad to read that others share my concerns and that I'm not being insanely paranoid. As much as I'd love to share cute photos of my new grandkid here, I guess I'll stick to art journaling and such.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

AI does a remarkable job enlarging things, so our 600x600 size isn't a fail safe. OTOH, it's just one more reason why Oscraps shouldn't be a big target for web scrapers. But I'm glad to read that others share my concerns and that I'm not being insanely paranoid. As much as I'd love to share cute photos of my new grandkid here, I guess I'll stick to art journaling and such.

Yes, I definitely share your concerns. I have always had this concern, but with AI, it has even heightened. There's probably nothing we can do to safeguard ourselves, not with AI. We're at the mercu of that. It's only going to get worse - probably nothing we can do about it. It's not human, so AI has such an advantage over us - they're getting more and more sophisticated.

 

[wombat146]

Unfortunately no scrapbooking platform is safe enough these days, unless you want to spend big bucks and lock it down that tight that members would need to jump through a few hoops to even get in. Getting creative like Tracy to hide the faces of those people that don't wish to be seen or using an album here at the O to load your layouts into are two ways around it. Our album permissions are set so that only Oscraps members can see these albums, 'passers-by' (not logged in) won't see them if they look at the gallery.

Another creative way is to make your page using a stock photo to begin with, upload that layout, and then change out the psd file with a photo of your family member afterwards, which then is your personal copy. All of my grandies are now all grown up and occasionally I will scrap one of their photos of when they were younger but they are all happy with me doing that, and they certainly post more of their own photos on social media platforms than I would!

 

[MariJ]

Unfortunately no scrapbooking platform is safe enough these days, unless you want to spend big bucks and lock it down that tight that members would need to jump through a few hoops to even get in. Getting creative like Tracy to hide the faces of those people that don't wish to be seen or using an album here at the O to load your layouts into are two ways around it. Our album permissions are set so that only Oscraps members can see these albums, 'passers-by' (not logged in) won't see them if they look at the gallery.

Another creative way is to make your page using a stock photo to begin with, upload that layout, and then change out the psd file with a photo of your family member afterwards, which then is your personal copy. All of my grandies are now all grown up and occasionally I will scrap one of their photos of when they were younger but they are all happy with me doing that, and they certainly post more of their own photos on social media platforms than I would!

Thank you, Ona. So do I understand correctly that if my layouts are in Galleries like my own Gallery or say the Birthday Party one - then only Members can view them?

 

[wombat146]

Thank you, Toiny. So do I understand correctly that if my layouts are in Galleries like my own Gallery or say the Birthday Party one - then only Members can view them?

No, if your layout is in the general Member Gallery people can see your layouts if they are not logged in. Which is the same for all galleries at various scrapping sites. You would need to create an Album and upload your layout to it, then it would only be seen by Oscraps members logged in. However, once it is in your album you wouldn't be able to share it in the forum, say for a challenge, where it is a challenge rule to post your linked layout from gallery into the forum thread. Hope that helps Mari!

This was discussed in length in the Help forum in this thread HERE

Steps on creating a Personal Album can be found HERE

 

[Jam-on-toast]

I just realized I didn't even know web scraping was a thing.... the first few times I read " web scrapping"... AI is both exciting and scary... I also feel the latest scrapbooking trend of using stock photos and creating more and more photoless layouts - while opening up new possibilities - destroys the soul of scrapbooking... and a sense of joy of sharing your real creations with the community.

I have been rather conscious of including other people in my layouts for some time now. In scrapbooking galleries - and media - I often see faces - especially those of children - blurred. This might sound a little naive, but I am now sure I fully understand why.

 

[tanteva]

TBH, I can't worry about these things. The only way to be safe these days is to stay off internet & best scenario: never been on it. I've been active on internet since 1997, all my info is out there. It's too late.

 

[veer]

Well, my daughter doesn't really want me to post pictures of my granddaughter on Oscraps or other scraps websites.
And when I read all this here, I understand her concern.

 

[*sylvia*]

Of course, layouts with photos of the family, children, grandchildren are cute and adorable and attract more attention and likes. But we all forget that there is absolutely no security on the WWW. Everything we publish stays there forever and we can't see what is being done with it. We have no influence over it. With a screenshot you can get anything you want without authorization ...

 

[MariJ]

Thank you, Ona. So do I understand correctly that if my layouts are in Galleries like my own Gallery or say the Birthday Party one - then only Members can view them?

No, if your layout is in the general Member Gallery people can see your layouts if they are not logged in. Which is the same for all galleries at various scrapping sites. You would need to create an Album and upload your layout to it, then it would only be seen by Oscraps members logged in. However, once it is in your album you wouldn't be able to share it in the forum, say for a challenge, where it is a challenge rule to post your linked layout from gallery into the forum thread. Hope that helps Mari!

This was discussed in length in the Help forum in this thread HERE

Steps on creating a Personal Album can be found HERE

Thank you Ona, to be honest, I'm not worried and know everything is done to be as safe as possible here. I guess I was confused at the difference between an Album and Member Gallery. I still feel new here and get mixed-up by it all, like why I have two albums under "Your Albums" - MariJ's Album has two layouts and "MariJ's Album" has none. But then I actually have eight posted layouts in "Your Layouts"! So, I'm not sure what I did or where they should actually be!
But it's all good and no worries here. Thank you so much for the explanations

 

[wombat146]

Mari, the difference between an Album and the Members Gallery:

Think of the Gallery as being a communal spot, like a noticeboard, where everyone just pins (uploads) their layouts for everyone to see. Anyone can see these layouts whether they are logged into Oscraps or not, or whether they are a registered O member or not.

If you would prefer to not post a layout for the world to see , you can choose to post your layout into a Personal Album instead.

An album can only be seen by people that are 1) registered O members and 2) who are logged in. These people would need to actually click on your Album to open it in order to view your layouts.

Albums can be used to sort your layouts into different categories, for instance, one album could contain all the layouts you create for overseas trip; or perhaps one album might be used to hold all Winter themed layouts you create; or yet another album which would contain all the layouts you have done featuring your grandchildren. Your albums can contain whatever type of layout you wish to upload to it.

When you go to upload your layout, instead of selecting a Gallery (communal/public) to upload to, you would instead select one of your (semi-private) albums.

Bottom line however, is that whatever you post on the internet, anywhere, is not 100% foolproof. So you either just create your layouts and not share them online at all or, you find some sort of compromise on what you do want to share.

Personally I have shared quite a lot of my layouts with my grandchildren over the years (with their parents' blessings). But, I have a TON of layouts that I have never posted online as they contain way more personal details which I would only share within the family.............. these have been printed out into albums and given to various family members over the years. For me, it's mostly about creating digital art these days so I don't have a problem with privacy issues as I tend to use either stock photos or images provided within a digital scrapbook kit or collection.

As to the layouts you currently have......... if you would like to have all of your layouts in one spot, an album or in the gallery then let me know and I can help you by moving them.

Anyways, I hope I have explained the main difference between the general gallery and using an album Mari and please, feel free to ask any questions you may have!

 

[MariJ]

Mari, the difference between an Album and the Members Gallery:

Think of the Gallery as being a communal spot, like a noticeboard, where everyone just pins (uploads) their layouts for everyone to see. Anyone can see these layouts whether they are logged into Oscraps or not, or whether they are a registered O member or not.

If you would prefer to not post a layout for the world to see , you can choose to post your layout into a Personal Album instead.

An album can only be seen by people that are 1) registered O members and 2) who are logged in. These people would need to actually click on your Album to open it in order to view your layouts.

Albums can be used to sort your layouts into different categories, for instance, one album could contain all the layouts you create for overseas trip; or perhaps one album might be used to hold all Winter themed layouts you create; or yet another album which would contain all the layouts you have done featuring your grandchildren. Your albums can contain whatever type of layout you wish to upload to it.

When you go to upload your layout, instead of selecting a Gallery (communal/public) to upload to, you would instead select one of your (semi-private) albums.

Bottom line however, is that whatever you post on the internet, anywhere, is not 100% foolproof. So you either just create your layouts and not share them online at all or, you find some sort of compromise on what you do want to share.

Personally I have shared quite a lot of my layouts with my grandchildren over the years (with their parents' blessings). But, I have a TON of layouts that I have never posted online as they contain way more personal details which I would only share within the family.............. these have been printed out into albums and given to various family members over the years. For me, it's mostly about creating digital art these days so I don't have a problem with privacy issues as I tend to use either stock photos or images provided within a digital scrapbook kit or collection.

As to the layouts you currently have......... if you would like to have all of your layouts in one spot, an album or in the gallery then let me know and I can help you by moving them.

Anyways, I hope I have explained the main difference between the general gallery and using an album Mari and please, feel free to ask any questions you may have!

Oh Ona, you are wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to carefully type this all out and explain it to me. Now I understand it much better and can refer to your explanations if I am not sure in the future.
And, thank you, yes! I would very much like to have all my layouts together in one place. I appreciate that and you and thanks for your offer.
I'm just wondering if they are all in the general gallery, which is fine - will they also all be in one place for me? Is there someplace where I'd find all my layouts together in a sort of gallery? Seems like it should be simple, but I don't know!

Also, is there an easy way to find my layouts/gallery - or others, too? The only way I know to do it now for myself is to go to the Gallery tab at the top, and at the bottom it says, "your albums" and "your layouts".
Thank you Ona!
Marilyn

 

[wombat146]

Oh Ona, you are wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to carefully type this all out and explain it to me. Now I understand it much better and can refer to your explanations if I am not sure in the future.
And, thank you, yes! I would very much like to have all my layouts together in one place. I appreciate that and you and thanks for your offer.
I'm just wondering if they are all in the general gallery, which is fine - will they also all be in one place for me? Is there someplace where I'd find all my layouts together in a sort of gallery? Seems like it should be simple, but I don't know!

Also, is there an easy way to find my layouts/gallery - or others, too? The only way I know to do it now for myself is to go to the Gallery tab at the top, and at the bottom it says, "your albums" and "your layouts".
Thank you Ona!
Marilyn

You are welcome Marilyn. ♥ I have merged all of your layouts into one spot, so they are located in the Members Gallery and quickly go to your gallery from the forum, hover over your Avatar to left of your post and when it opens click on actual number shown under the Gallery title as shown below. So by clicking on the number 8 circled, you are taken to your gallery.




If you are in the Gallery already, click on the Your Content text underneath the Gallery title.



So in future, just upload your layouts to the Members Gallery and it will automatically be placed in your gallery to find at a later date.


Let me know if you have any questions Marilyn! xx

 

[MariJ]

@wombat146
Oh Ona, THANK YOU! I so appreciate you taking the time to clearly explain this to me and to move my layouts together. It all makes sense and I was able to follow what you said. I've also copied what you've written here so I can refer to it if I forget.

You have been so kind and I appreciate that and you, too! Many thanks.
Marilyn

 

[hoodsmom]

No, if your layout is in the general Member Gallery people can see your layouts if they are not logged in. Which is the same for all galleries at various scrapping sites. You would need to create an Album and upload your layout to it, then it would only be seen by Oscraps members logged in. However, once it is in your album you wouldn't be able to share it in the forum, say for a challenge, where it is a challenge rule to post your linked layout from gallery into the forum thread. Hope that helps Mari!

This was discussed in length in the Help forum in this thread HERE

Steps on creating a Personal Album can be found HERE

Ona, is there a way to move selected items from our gallery to a personal item short of downloading the LO, adding it to a personal album and deleting the original item from our gallery?

 

[wombat146]

Ona, is there a way to move selected items from our gallery to a personal item short of downloading the LO, adding it to a personal album and deleting the original item from our gallery?

Yes, here are the steps to do just move your layout from the Members Gallery to a personal Album, but remember, you can not link a layout from your Album to a forum thread, like for a challenge, as the image will not appear in the post (because the Album is 'private').

To move a layout to a new gallery (category) or Album:

1. Open your layout in the gallery (Note: The Edit button under the layout is only used to edit the text or the actual image itself)



2. Over on the right hand side you will see the Eclipse symbol (...), click on it and then select the Move media item opton as shown below.




3. Now you have the option to either move it to a new category ie, Gallery




4. OR move it to a New Album or Existing Album. After selecting either Album option go ahead and Save it.






To do more than one layout at a time:
(read Step 6 below first if you are going to be moving to an existing album)

5. In the gallery, select each layout you want to use by clicking in the little box, top left hand corner



6. The same screen will appear as in Step 4 above.

Important: If you are going to use an Existing Album you need to get the album link first!​

To do that, open your Existing Album and then copy the URL link at the top of your browser.​

Hint: You can also just CTRL+Click on your album to open it in a different tab so you can copy the URL link when you are ready to.​

7. Now go ahead and click on the Existing album option and paste in the URL link you just copied.
Then click Move.



8. Note! When you go out to the Members Gallery you will may still see your layouts there but that is because you are a registered Oscraps member and you are logged in. To test it out, log out and take another look at the Members Gallery, you should not be able to see your layouts now.


Let me know how you get on. I will put all this in a guide in the Help forum when I get some free time to do so.

Hope this helps!

​