Wikipedia talk:Images from social media, or elsewhere

Linking an uploader to an author
I understand that the author of a picture published in Instagram, for example, has to upload the image themselves to Commons because "the act of uploading the images creates a record of [the author] stating [their] permission for their reuse". However, how can we be sure that the uploader is in fact the author of the picture? Imagine the following scenario:

Author A publishes a picture they have taken on Instagram. Author B uploads the image to Commons using agreeing to release it with a CC license. User C reuses the image on Commons to create some derivative work. Finally, Author A changes their mind, claiming that they never uploaded their work to Commons, and sues User C for having unauthorizedly used their work.

What would happen in a case like this? I'm helping some people upload to Commons some pictures they've taken (and uploaded elsewhere), and I want to make sure we won't have problems in the future proving that the uploader was in fact the original creator.

Thanks! --Diegodlh (talk) 23:20, 3 May 2022 (UTC)


 * You ask Author B to post on Instagram after they uploaded the image, to confirm that they have done so. Or, if you prefer, you ask them to email the VRT. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 17:11, 27 December 2023 (UTC)