Imagine someone else tagging you in a Facebook photo you don’t even appear in and then getting arrested because of it. That’s what journalist Mamdouh Hamamreh is going through. He was falsely labeled in an image mocking Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas by superimposing his likeness into a picture of a well-known Syrian soap opera villain.
In conversation with the Associated Press, Hamamreh explained that he was detained by police authorities just a few hours after being tagged in said photo. Again, and according to him, he hadn’t taken the picture or uploaded it, and his face wasn’t in it. He didn’t even tag himself. After being held up in a Palestinian lock-up for 50 days, he was released in November and faces trial next month.
Palestinian President Abbas’ government is anti-Habbas, and Hamamred works for a pro-Habbas media outlet. What is incredible about Hamamreh’s case is that such an intrinsic and “innocent” Facebook feature should put someone’s freedom at risk. One thing is to use Facebook as a political tool –willingly putting your personal safety at risk, as the other blogger did– and another is to be prosecuted because someone anonymously identified you in a picture through a couple of clicks; a picture that you didn’t upload and that you’re not even in.
And although this surely has political motivations behind it, it is interesting to think that the events could have been prevented if Facebook asked users to “verify” or “approve” photo tags before those go public, the way they ask you to “approve” someone’s friend request, or that you are your brother’s brother.
Last year, Nick O’Neill said that a requirement where users had to approve photo tags would yield a system “in which companies are responsible for the content uploaded by their users,” but he was discussing whether Europe should make that a law. But what if Facebook did it on its own, as a way to prevent misunderstandings, arguments, and –- in some parts of the world –- more serious consequences?
Habbas?
Comment by Natan — January 24, 2011 @ 10:22 am
Approving photo tags – I hope it will be implemented! Soon!
Also approving joining to groups (friend can join you to public group)
Also approving to tag you in status updates. Well I guess, I want a lot..
Comment by Johny — January 24, 2011 @ 12:08 pm
I think it's facebook folt and they should cancel the tag feature, at lest for Arabs because the most of them they don't know how to use it, and they tag you in everything. I hate when someone tag me in a pic or video I'm not on it.
Comment by khaled — January 24, 2011 @ 12:48 pm
everyone should be anti-Habbas
Comment by Shell — January 24, 2011 @ 1:36 pm
Somebody should replace Habbas's face with a rear end. Would be more fitting.
Comment by Marianne — January 25, 2011 @ 4:11 pm
Someone just posted a picture of a squirrel in a Marine Uniform that I am tagged. It even added to one of the four top facebook pictures. It says, "Look What Science Has Created" I am a proud Vietnam era Army Vet and my grandson is active duty Marines. If this was the late 1960s, I would be just the journalist, being tried! I was Army, married AF, and the military has been part of our lives more than 50 yrs. FB needs to fix this tagging feature before more people are hurt.
Comment by Linda — January 26, 2011 @ 10:34 am
funny I get email when someone wants to tag ANYONE in any of my images, aswell as the person being tagged. this person should have immediately deleted the tag AND denounced any correlation pertaining to the images contents, and then begged the pres for forgiveness!
shure would have beat 50 days >pretrial! (cant get them back)…
probably no such thing as
Comment by The Gardener — January 26, 2011 @ 11:11 pm