Pixabay and Pexels are platforms for sharing creative work with the world. They offer photographers and graphic designers a chance to showcase their work and reach a broader audience. Users can download and use images for free with very few restrictions.
So, why You Should Be Careful When Uploading Images to Pixabay and Pexels
Apart from losing the right to “your” own images, there are some other things you need to consider before you start sharing your pictures for free. The Inability to Retract Your Work When you upload your images to Pixabay or Pexels, you must note that you cannot remove them from these platforms once users have downloaded them. Once downloaded, an image can circulate indefinitely in the digital world. This means that even if you delete your photo from the platform, copies could still exist and be used by others. You cannot compel someone who downloaded your image to stop using it. Once online, the photos are there for good. But Pixabay or Pexels take this one step further: once the photos have been downloaded, even if it’s only once, you cannot remove them, even if you deactivate your account. Potential Misuse of Your Images Platforms like Pixabay and Pexels have terms of service prohibiting specific uses, but enforcing these rules can be challenging. If your images are used in a way that violates the platform’s terms or your standards, your options for recourse are limited. Pursuing legal action or trying to have the image removed from other websites can be difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Read PixaBay’s content license symmetry here.
So, are Pixabay and Pexels stealing from us?
No, they don’t. You have to accept the Creative Commons (CC) license (version: Creative Commons 0), which gives them the full right not to let you delete YOUR photo. But is it right? In my opinion, it’s not right. We can compare it with Spotify, for example. One artist puts the songs on Spotify and gets paid after the number of streams, and they have the right to withdraw the song. We put a photo or video on Pixabay and Pexels and let people download it without compensation. Then we want to withdraw it, only to be told we can’t. So if you, like 99% of the uploaders and me, only accept the license and assume that you will always be the owner, it’s your fault. This is not an excuse, but reading both the terms and conditions on Pixabay and the Creative Commons licence would (according to a word counter) take 35 minutes to read. So, if you, like me and 99% of the people, only accept the licence because you can not imagine that you will lose the right to your work, well, it’s your fault.
Conclusion
While platforms like Pixabay and Pexels offer fantastic opportunities to share your work with a global audience, weighing the pros and cons before uploading your images is crucial. The loss of exclusive rights, inability to retract your pictures, and potential for misuse are serious considerations that every contributor should consider. My view is never to upload something to this site. Pixabay and Pexels are not charity companies. This is business for them. From May to June (2024), they had 97 million visitors, and traffic is today’s money. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m happy for everyone who has a working business. But do not clarify that you lose 100% of the right to your photos when uploading, instead of saying you should have read the terms and conditions, plus the licence on 7000+ words. For me, this IS NOT rights.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
