Wikipedia:Images of living people

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The following is a proposed Wikipedia policy, guideline, or process. The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption. References or links to this page should not describe it as "policy".

A proposal's acceptance or rejection is not determined simply by counting votes.

2 possible suggested wordings for the proposal. Comments are still welcome

Copyright (nonfree) Images of living people in English language Wikipedia


Wikipedia strives to produce and distribute free content which is perpetually free for unlimited distribution, modification, and application for all users and in all mediums. This goal could best be met by completely disallowing all nonfree (copyright) images where the significance of the image is that it serves to identify a particular living person

Andrew Levine's suggested amendment

Wikipedia strives to produce and distribute free content which is perpetually free for unlimited distribution, modification, and application for all users and in all mediums. This goal could best be met by completely disallowing all nonfree (copyright) images where the only significance of the image is that it serves to identify a particular living person, with limited exception for individuals who may not be lawfully photographed (see exceptions)


Could you guys transfer these to the discussion, where they properly belong I think. Thanks.--luke 07:56, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Objections by - crz crztalk

  • What if the subject is serving a life term in prison?
  • What if it's a photo of an erstwhile porn star who is now old and ugly and whose current image badly represents the article? - crz crztalk 18:19, 3 December 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Objections by - User:Stick Fig

  • A person's look is often a large part of the story, and recognition of faces may be just as important as name.
  • Quality arguments need to be taken into consideration, not just binary (it's all the same) arguments. A cell phone photo, for example, is not a suitable replacement for a professionally-shot studio photo. The license should not be the only deciding factor.
  • The level of information provided by an article should not be significantly lessened by a fair use image's removal. - Stick Fig 22:08, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Objections by - User:Lankiveil

While it would be great to be able to use a free image wherever one is required, this is not currently practical. Many articles are enhanced immeasurably by even a single image, but the image has to be a good one. Removing images from biography articles for licence reasons is a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater - you might have a freer encyclopædia, but you'll have one that is less informative, educational, and interesting.

Working to reduce the number of fair use images on Wikipedia by replacing them with equivalent-quality free images is a laudable goal, but it will not be achieved with a blanket ban.

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