FFS Mumsnet HQ - illegal images on threads

[Lagirl20]

Beware, the thread “weird message from friend” has some child abuse images on it!!! @mumsnet

I thought image uploads were switched off?

Why would someone post pictures like that if they can be traced immediately and arrested? Surely they are much more able to do this if MNHQ don't know who they are.

At this point, it's pretty clear Mumsnet don't care

I didn’t have to click on a link though, obviously I know not to do that. I was just scrolling normally through a thread, and then it was there. And then I posted a thread in Site Stuff saying what I had seen, and then more (horrific) pictures were posted on there. Somehow in all my years of internet use I have managed to never see anything like that, I have to say, Mumsnet was not the place I thought it would happen. It seemed like a safe kind of place before, as safe as anything on the Internet anyway.

I get the same feel, and it's very concerning.

This is the second time recently mumsnet has been targetted in this manner. What is going on?

Why would someone post pictures like that if they can be traced immediately and arrested? Surely they are much more able to do this if MNHQ don't know who they are

I think people who are targeting a business with images of children being sexually abused might just have the capability of concealing their identity on the internet. I don't think they would be 'traced immediately and arrested'.

I didn’t realise that was the case. Have MNHQ posted to this effect somewhere?

They're much more likely to do it if they're anonymous and there are no checks on their identity I would have thought.
Perhaps MNHQ could verify identity and require a solid posting history over, say, 6 months before image posting rights are granted.

I've just seen on the Reddit group that discusses Mumsnet that apparently posting photos of genitals has now been disallowed. That's a direct quote from one of their members.

I can't see mention of this on this thread but then again I haven't been on MN much today (obvious reasons - I'm scared of what I might see) so does anyone know where they have finally (finally after much begging and complaining from me and other Mnetters) announced this?

Thanks very much to the pp who explained the link thing to me earlier on, btw.

They're much more likely to do it if they're anonymous and there are no checks on their identity I would have thought

I don't. I think people who are up for this are not going to be dissuaded from doing it by jumping through one quite minor hoop.

It's not like they are playing Knock Down Ginger and we've installed a door bell camera and they will just move on to the next door neighbours front door.

It's a deliberate and targeted attack on a relatively large business for the purpose of damaging that business.

Nope. There has been a lot of talk about how Greg posting of pictures of genitals should be banned, but MN HQ haven’t confirmed this.

They did say that the posting of images has been suspended, but a poster up thread has just posted an image, and my post has the option to upload an image and when I click on it I can select my photos to add one.

We'll evidently have to agree to disagree.

ETA agree to disagree on the first part. I do agree that it's deliberate and targeted to damage the site.

That truly is sick, hope the person who did it gets what they deserve

@LindorDoubleChoc
I've just seen on the Reddit group that discusses Mumsnet that apparently posting photos of genitals has now been disallowed. That's a direct quote from one of their members.

I saw them saying this over there too. I don't see anything on here though, so I don't know where they got this information from... We are still able to post images. I don't know if intimate images can be posted (vulva, arse, nipples etc,) and I'm not sure how to find out because I'm not posting pictures of mine! 😬

MNHQ: Update on Image Uploads | Mumsnet

It's here in a more recent message from MNHQ on one of the threads in site stuff, but because they can't seem to bring themselves to address this in a frank and open way and actually alert members as to what has happened, it is hard to find any of this information. The majority of users are unaware of the horror that has unfolded recently.

MNHQ have posted about that on a couple of threads on Site Stuff - linking this as it’s the shortest and easiest to find

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/site_stuff/5275096-so-i-see-we-can-post-images-again

The thing is, institutions like the NHS, government, banks etc have been hacked. It is the internet. Probably easier to disable images altogether. AI doesn't have the capacity for anything good or useful.

AI has the capacity to make complex medical diagnoses, recognize patterns in imaging, discern tumours etc with great rapidity and accuracy, etc etc.

This is not hacking. This is shoddy tech implementation or lack of implementation in the first instance.

About time given it is astounding that Mumsnet has been allowing these pictures with any checks that said genitals belong to the poster or, indeed, an adult. The irony of this being supposed to be a safe space for women is off the chart.

And as many keep repeating, their responses to these issues keep getting buried on the site stuff thread and anyone who who speaks ups is slagged off as a bad actor.

Users have a genuine right to know whether their privacy and data is at risk when a site is run is this lax manner.

I've just had a memory flashback to a few months ago when somebody uploaded pictures of their baby's genitals on the basis of a medical issue. There was nothing to see in terms of a medical issue, just a clear picture of a baby's testicles and bum. The poster was asking about something that didn't require them to post the picture.

I reported the picture to @MNHQ as completely inappropriate and I was told I was mistaken and it was a heel of a foot. It was not a fucking heel. Coincidentally, a couple of other friends on MN also noticed it and reported it and mentioned it in a WhatsApp group we have. The picture was eventually taken down, I presume because of multiple reports. I feel very strongly that MN didn't give a shit that this was a wholly inappropriate picture to post. I am grateful that I've not seen anything worse than that but the response was fucking shocking IMO. The fact that anybody has been able to post CSA images not once, but twice so far makes me sick but the lack of accountability from MN is abhorrent.

Just read that update - thanks, @ViolinsPlayGentlyOn. I hadn't realised the recent posts were NOT uploaded images! Nobody's mentioned it on this thread as far as I can see.

They were links with previews, same as when you link to a dress on the M&S website and the preview appears with the picture of the item you linked.

So it has nothing to do with image uploads or image screening. The attacker had NOT uploaded the image.

Perhaps he had to do it this way because Mumsnet's image screening actually does work?

MN could stop allowing link previews, but that would piss the advertisers off. I've seen many, many things sell out a few hours after being posted here. They could restrict it to specific websites but, again, there are business and UX ramifications to that.

I'm sure they'll figure out how to approach it; I really wanted to highlight that the majority of this discussion is irrelevant to the problem in hand.

So it has nothing to do with image uploads or image screening. The attacker had NOT uploaded the image.

I'm sure that will be a huge comfort to those who were unfortunate enough to be exposed to this image.

They could limit link previews to paid for services. Advertisers would not be affected because they pay to advertise

Yes, good idea @Goody2ShoesAndTheFilthyBeast.

Who cares whether it was a download, an upload, an affiliate link, a non-affiliate link, a link preview or whatever the hell it was! No one cares about the technicalities, everyone cares about not being subjected to seeing horrific images when logged on to the site.