Training modules/Dealing with online harassment/slides/test-yourself-image-related-abuse

Test yourself: Image-related abuse

This module will periodically present you with multiple-choice questions you can use to test your knowledge of the module you are studying. While more than one of the suggested answers may seem suitable, remember that you should try to pick the most suitable of the options.

An editor who edits under the pseudonym User:K is known to edit controversial articles on the Chinese Wikipedia, including articles about Hong Kong's past as a British colony. The edits they make there are arguably in a pro-British style. They are routinely involved in brief edit wars and heated discussions related to these edits, but their conduct has never been deemed serious enough for the community to sanction them.

Now, however, User:K has discovered that a photograph of them has been stolen from their social media account and used to illustrate parody articles on a pro-China Wikipedia fork (split-off site). It's not immediately clear who has done this, but User:K suspects it is the fault of pro-China User:L, with whom he has argued many times in the past.

Test yourself!

Do you...

1. Advise User:K to create an account on the Wikipedia fork and remove it from the offending article himself. Provide User:K with guidance on maximizing their security and privacy on external websites to prevent this from happening again in the future. (click to expand or collapse)

   This answer might be useful if User:K is willing to get involved with such a community, though it seems likely to make the situation worse.
2. Advise User:K to contact the Wikipedia fork to request the removal of their image directly, and recommend they look into legal action against the offending site if they don’t agree to remove it. Provide User:K with guidance on security and privacy on external websites to prevent this from happening again in the future. (click to expand or collapse)

   Well done! This situation is difficult, though this the most effective of these actions. This allows the website (which may not otherwise be aware that the image is hosted by them) a chance to remove it or open discussions to begin that process. There may also be local laws which protect the privacy of User:K which the sharing of this image is breaking.
3. Block User:L immediately, as it's obvious they are the one involved with posting this image on external websites. Provide User:K with guidance on maximizing their security and privacy on external websites to prevent this from happening again in the future. (click to expand or collapse)

   There is not much to be gained from this answer, since while it is possible User:L is involved there's no real way of knowing if that's true. Blocking without process in this instance makes little sense.
4. Provide User:K with guidance on maximizing their security and privacy on external websites to prevent this from happening again in the future, but otherwise take no action. (click to expand or collapse)

   To do nothing at all may not actually not as bad as it may sound – there is every chance the "fork" isn't widely read, and intervening may just make things worse further down the line. Though there is a better answer which may help in this situation.

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