When I was a 15-year-old without a laptop or smartphone, my family took a three-day vacation to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.

Naively, I left Danville equipped with remedial technology and no Internet access. I had forgotten that my best friend, Austin Baird, freshman in Media and Illini Media employee, had my Facebook login information. That was a mistake.

Baird, who’s very talented at photo manipulation, edited all my profile pictures and managed to make my already-awkward images look even worse. The resulting photos portrayed disturbingly realistic versions of me with additions varying from squinty eyes and a rat-like jaw to an inflated nose, buckteeth and bug eyes.

Baird proceeded to message all my Facebook friends with a link to the photos and a caption that read, “I’M CUTE.” He also shared the images on his Facebook and requested new friends from my profile.

Though annoyed and embarrassed, I wasn’t worried anyone would take the pictures seriously, but some people did.

“What’s wrong with the girl in those pictures?” Baird’s friends asked. “Does she have some sort of disease?” 

Even some of my Facebook friends who had access to the original photos didn’t question their validity. I did a lot of explaining that week.

For me, this fiasco highlighted people’s laughable gullibility towards online image sharing (It also taught me not to trust Baird).

On social media especially, fake images are often reposted as legitimate. The edited image of a shark swimming near a New Jersey home flooded the Web during Hurricane Sandy, and in December 2012, an edited image of a man holding a “winning” lottery ticket became Facebook’s most shared photograph.

Unfortunately, similar illegitimate images often infest my Facebook News Feed, causing me to believe some people take the phrase “seeing is believing” too literally. In today’s world, it really isn’t.

Journalism professor Brian Johnson said that while image editing has been possible since the beginning of photography, it’s easier than ever in today’s technological times.

Before advanced technology and smartphone applications, only high-quality computers could digitally reposition, crop or merge images. However, people now don’t even have to pay for Photoshop; several editing programs — like GIMP, PhoXo and Photo Pos Pro — are available online for free.

Additionally, applications like iRetouch, TouchRetouch and Adobe Photoshop Express make photo editing possible from a cellphone. 

When the pictures my friends post become unbearably ignorant, I’m at ease knowing that these “shocking” images were probably just created on a cellphone.

Johnson recommended that before sharing an image that seems “too good to be true,” Google a description of the photo in question followed by the word “hoax”.

He also recommended that when checking the validity of a photograph, look at the shadows. If the shadows in the photograph fall in different directions, often times, the image is fake.

Johnson said ignorantly sharing the illegal photos is much worse than believing the photos are actually valid.

To share an image online, you must have permission from its creator. If not, you’re in violation of the United States Copyright law.

This means uploading an image to Facebook that you found online could get you sued. Before using a photo, you must obtain the right to do so. According to the Copyright law of the United States, if caught violating copyright, a person can be sued or fined anywhere from $750 to $30,000 for each misused photo.

While lawsuits are one extreme possibility, less serious ramifications can also await those who share images illegally.

One possibility is the deletion of the photo in question. If copyright violation continues, Facebook will permanently delete your account.

Patricia Rosario, graduate student in GSLIS, said it’s important that people consider their rights to a photograph before sharing it.

“It’s almost like photos are another product to consume,” Rosario said. “There’s this onslaught of images everyday through Twitter and Facebook, so people don’t really think before sharing.”

Rosario added that like any product, a person must have permission before use. She advised people to look at the rights of the photograph, or contact the owner. Rosario also said to use caution when sharing photos online and to not assume the person who posted the photo before you had the right to do so.

When it comes to online image sharing, I learned my lesson at 15: there’s no place for naivety on the Internet. Common sense is a must have.

The next time you consider sharing an image online, think before you post and research your images. Question their validity and ownership to avoid any inconveniences and potential lawsuits.

Bailey is a freshman in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].