Hi all I don’t mean to be disrespectful in stating this however.
Ive noticed that LB doesn’t take any attempt to cover up the plate numbers of their members and other bikers. There are several implications for this and one of the main implications is
plate cloning which is a growing crime especially with sites out there such as www.Bike-Plate.com which don’t require you to prove that you own the vehicle for them to produce the plate.
Other implications include raising awareness of bike locations all someone needs is access to a number plate search system which can be easy if you work in a council and also there are personal implications as in has each person who has been photographed been happy that their number plate is been shown on the internet.(I know this one isn’t a serious implication however morally it is . ).
I believe that it would be responsible for the owners / administrators of LB to cover up the plates of people or get permission from all the riders they photograph.
I think it’s a disgrace that a site that considers itself to be a COMPANY does not have the decency to blank number plates… okay so you say its the riders faults for not taking them off but that’s bollocks, just you being lazy and inconsiderate… I bet you blank number plates of LB members… but don’t give a shit about anyone else if their bike gets nicked because someones traced their number plate from one of your pics (which is entirely possible)
I believe a certain group have even told you not to post pictures of them, which you’ve completely ignored… goes to show your professionlism!!!
I presume you’re the person that emailed us today about it Sparks, well as stated in the reply, most people would agree that if you intend on breaking the law, then you do so after taking the risks into consideration and are happy with them. One of the risks in this case is that your registration will be seen. There’s a hundred other people taking photographs outside the Ace Cafe and sharing the pictures around and publishing them on the web, it’s not like we’re the only ones doing it, and doing it to get you intro trouble.
As I said in the reply as well, we’re not unreasonable, and before it hasn’t been feasible for us to alter every photograph we publish, as we often publish hundreds at a time by use of an automatic system. But now we’re ready meet you guys half way and make sure all numberplates in the future are obscured.
If you check out the latest Ace Cafe gallery, we started obscuring more plates than previously. Not all of them admitedly, but we’ll see that they are from now on. It’s not about being lazy, far from it, to run LB takes a HUGE amount of our time, I personally hold down a day job and then in the evening work all night on the site, as do the others involved. We just didn’t have the time to alter all the photos before.
As for it being a disgrace, well, that’s your opinion and everyone’s entitled to it, but we work hard to keep this site running, and none of us are making money out of it, the site has to be a company to run, otherwise it would cost us too much personally. Most of the more successful community sites operate this way.
But getting back to the topic at hand, yes, all plates will be obscured in the future.
Pardon me for being thick, but if a gang wanted to collect numbers for cloning all they would have to do is go out during rush hour and video the traffic for 5 mins that would give them more than enough ammo! as to the stunting thing, do you think the police don’t have/use cameras? get real, if you regularely stunt with your plates in plain view then you can expect the police to know who you are and where you live, as to the other remark about being traced to your home adress, that can be done just as easily by turning up on site with a note book! if you have the access and the intent then you can get anyones adress, don’t foist your paranoia onto the people working hard to make this site a success! that said if jay is good enough to obscure all plates then hats off to him ,of course why not just have frontal and side photos of bikes only? and no faces either! hey I can see this catching on…
I’m nothing to do with any emails, I just got the link off exo on a forum and thought I’d post up…
Also no one really cares if you hold a day job or whatever, that’s your problem not mine or anyone elses… if you don’t like it don’t do it… moaning won’t get you any sympathy.
It also doesn’t matter that you’re starting to blank plates when you already have galleries full of bikes with number plates showing, and for the record I’m not talking just stunting, every bike you show the plate of parked up in the car park, is it their responsibility to take their plate off too??? or the people just riding past the ace to get where they want to go? do they have to take their plates off as well??
It’s also irrelevant about the other photographers there… we’re talking about londonbikers here… there are lots of murderers in the world but that doesn’t mean you can do it too… just because others do…
The only reason you’re so resiliant to removing stunt images and so on from your galleries is because that’s why a lot of people go onto your site… so essentailly you’re making members/money from other peoples work…
“Doesn’t take any attempt to blank plates” Cobblers. We don’t blank every plate due to time commitments. Most we do. And not everyone submitting photo’s does it themselves. Trying getting your facts right before going off on one. Oh, and welcome.
“being lazy and inconsiderate” Really? Are you 100% sure of that? Isn’t that people who only critise and never contribute could be called? You tell me.
Yawn.
People riding about in public are taking the risk of plate cloners. Leaving your bike in public view is the same. People who are particularly sensitive should take their plates off.
Do you also have a go at these plate companies who don’t check ownership details? Or is that ok, and it’s just us that are committing the sin here?
Most of our photos are blanked, esp of member’s bikes. But since members can post their own photos I think responsibility lies with the individual. Oh, hang on, that means taking responsibility for your own actions.
Please show me a forum who you class as not ‘lazy and inconsiderate’ in this manner while presenting hundreds of photos in galleries free of charge that take days of time to sort out.
I think I’ll be waiting a while so I’ll put the kettle on.
Perhaps either of you guys could write an article for the forum on how to blur number plates using all the popular photo-editing software, to show us the error of our ways?
That’d be nice, rather than just complaining and ‘having a go’.
If you’d like to discuss this article in person, we could meet at the Ace sometime?
Have you got any idea how much work this site takes to run, and given that it’s done for FREE ( there is NO charge for this site ) maybe a little bit of slack should be given…
There is no way ANYONE can prove that this site causes plates to be clones or bikes to be stolen, and if it’s getting that paranoid then even riding the bikes in town is a bad idea.
As for posting pictures, what I would suggest is that you ask for your pictures to be removed, however I will say that you have zero right to ask for you bikes to be removed. It’s perfectly legal under public rights law ( something that’s being reviewed for “security reasons” ) , that if a photograph can be taken from a public place ( read ROAD ) , then it is in the public domain. And your use of the word "inconsiderate " is laughable as I’m sure car users of the road we all ride on will level that one on you / us .
Now if certain groups have “told” people not to publish then I think you should honour that, but then again it depends why. If you don’t want your bike shown as your breaking the law by say “stunting on a public road” then I suppose neither group has a leg to stand on morally… Them for breaking the law, and others for viewing. Stunting in public, on a public road you have zero rights not to have your image used.
How about we discuss a way to reach a compromise , as after all I’m sure if a car hits your motorbike outside the Ace Café you’d like as many photo’s of the incident as possible for your insurance claim.
Read what I said. I didn’t say you were making money from the galleries, I said the galleries encourage new members who in turn view your adverts, buy your merchandise, blah de blah blah…
I used to be a web & graphics designer so I think I know what it takes to run a forum/site/venture
Also never said it could be proved this site causes plate cloning etc, but prevention is better than cure and all that…
"Now if certain groups have “told” people not to publish then I think you should honour that, but then again it depends why. If you don’t want your bike shown as your breaking the law by say “stunting on a public road” then I suppose neither group has a leg to stand on morally… Them for breaking the law, and others for viewing. Stunting in public, on a public road you have zero rights not to have your image used. "
I don’t mind being shown breaking the law, I like pictures as much as the next person, as long as my plates not in it anyway. I cover my plate now anyway, but that’s not really what I’m on about here, I’m more on about pictures of peoples bikes parked up in the car park who might not even want their bike picture on the internet and have no say in the matter. Should they just not go to the ace then so it won’t happen again??
"3) Most of our photos are blanked, esp of member’s bikes. But since members can post their own photos I think responsibility lies with the individual. Oh, hang on, that means taking responsibility for your own actions.
Please show me a forum who you class as not ‘lazy and inconsiderate’ in this manner while presenting hundreds of photos in galleries free of charge that take days of time to sort out. "
The “other” site I’m on about blank plates and have a big gallery, so do other stunt sites in the UK. as well as some other sites I’ve been on.
and going to Ace’s and “popping a wheelie” is encouraging others to do the same… But are you to be held responsible if I get arrested…
Man this blame culture sucks… everything from suing everyone for anything, to blaming cigarette manufactures for causing cancer ( although this one might actually have legs ) …
I think the reason the other group have so much of a problem with this is not because you’ve got their pics and plates on display, but more so because you were kindly asked to remove those specific pictures but blatantly ignored that request and are being so unreasonable to sorting it. All you gotta do is remove the stunt pics of the people who’ve asked and the problem goes away.
Ok, you reckon that the galleries draw people in and therefore tempts advertisers, but I don’t see how having perfectly legal photo’s in a free public gallery is a problem, or even related to the advertising issue.
Number plate cloning is a real problem, no one will argue with you there, but I don’t really think it is an issue for LB as long as we are taking photo’s as Lee describes.
I think you are being a little unreasonable (ignoring the slander and criticism) by putting the problem on our doorstep.
I expect people will be more aware with photo’s they post after reading this thread.
The difference is we don’t get any profit from going to the ace and doing a wheelie if it encourages others to try, whereas londonbikers, one way or another, now or in future, will/aim/intend to make money from the images…
I don’t mind being shown breaking the law, I like pictures as much as the next person, as long as my plates not in it anyway. I cover my plate now anyway, but that’s not really what I’m on about here, I’m more on about pictures of peoples bikes parked up in the car park who might not even want their bike picture on the internet and have no say in the matter. Should they just not go to the ace then so it won’t happen again??
OK while I will give you some Kudos for openly admitting you like your photo on the web ( many people would have not done that ) , then you have to find a balance of what is just too much and what is too little…
Where do you stop ? Blanking out passing cars, Plates, People…
And hey Ace’s isn’t entirely innocent here , they entertain the culture that does this .
As for making money from the images, thats just not going to happen… Who’s going to buy them ? If Max Power wants images they send down their own bod. And i dont think the whole advertising thing holds water otherwise where does the trickle down effect stop…
Nope, sorry still not getting your point! if you wish to break the law and risk yours and other peoples health and finances while doing it, then that is your choice. If LB then prints pics of such things in such a way that you can be identified then this makes them the villains here? you do these things on a public road and amid heavy traffic (on occasion),you are not the injured party here! this is of your own making! you court publicity then wish to control it? hire max clifford!
"As for making money from the images, thats just not going to happen… Who’s going to buy them ? If Max Power wants images they send down their own bod. And i dont think the whole advertising thing holds water otherwise where does the trickle down effect stop… "
You don’t directly make money from selling the images. But you do/intend to in-directly make money from them. You intend/try/want to make money from londonbikers.com as a general, the galleries are part of the bigger picture and it’s the bigger picture that intends to make the money. The galleries give people reason to come to the site/stay, it’s an enjoyable feature with some good pictures. But its all contributing to the members satisfaction who then buy merchandise, donate, or whatever…
Without the galleries it’s one less thing to keep people here, maybe its a major thing maybe its not… that’s not the point.
I would be extremely disappointed if LB made profit, or indeed used any of the images off the site for any purpose but that assumed, without consulting the author and the subject if it is not a ‘public domain’ type photo. That was my earlier point about the galleries making money.
But that’s not my call.
I suspect that most / all forums look to make at least some money to cover the costs of running the thing. As you must know, being familiar with the running of this forum, it costs money to host these things, never mind the man-hours invested (voluntarily to a large degree it’s true, but that only goes so far). If you think any of the forums from AWOL to VisorDown are running entirely for free I fear you are sadly mistaken.
But we’re getting off the point.
If you let me know which photo’s are the offending ones, I’ll remove them. I wasn’t aware of this request, nor would I recognise the offending bikes.
