EDIT

TO EVERYONE ASKING TO OPEN AN ISSUE ON GITHUB, IT HAS BEEN OPEN SINCE JULY 6: https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/issues/3504

June 24 - https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/issues/3236

TO EVERYONE SAYING THAT THIS IS NOT A CONCERN: Everybody has different laws in their countries (in other words, not everyone is American), and whether or not an admin is liable for such content residing in their servers without their knowledge, don’t you think it’s still an issue anyway? Are you not bothered by the fact that somebody could be sharing illegal images from your server without you ever knowing? Is that okay with you? OR are you only saying this because you’re NOT an admin? Different admins have already responded in the comments and have suggested ways to solve the problem because they are genuinely concerned about this problem as much as I am. Thank you to all the hard working admins. I appreciate and love you all.

ORIGINAL POST

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/4273025

You can upload images to a Lemmy instance without anyone knowing that the image is there if the admins are not regularly checking their pictrs database.

To do this, you create a post on any Lemmy instance, upload an image, and never click the “Create” button. The post is never created but the image is uploaded. Because the post isn’t created, nobody knows that the image is uploaded.

You can also go to any post, upload a picture in the comment, copy the URL and never post the comment. You can also upload an image as your avatar or banner and just close the tab. The image will still reside in the server.

You can (possibly) do the same with community icons and banners.

Why does this matter?

Because anyone can upload illegal images without the admin knowing and the admin will be liable for it. With everything that has been going on lately, I wanted to remind all of you about this. Don’t think that disabling cache is enough. Bad actors can secretly stash illegal images on your Lemmy instance if you aren’t checking!

These bad actors can then share these links around and you would never know! They can report it to the FBI and if you haven’t taken it down (because you did not know) for a certain period, say goodbye to your instance and see you in court.

Only your backend admins who have access to the database (or object storage or whatever) can check this, meaning non-backend admins and moderators WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MONITOR THESE, and regular users WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REPORT THESE.

Aren’t these images deleted if they aren’t used for the post/comment/banner/avatar/icon?

NOPE! The image actually stays uploaded! Lemmy doesn’t check if the images are used! Try it out yourself. Just make sure to copy the link by copying the link text or copying it by clicking the image then “copy image link”.

How come this hasn’t been addressed before?

I don’t know. I am fairly certain that this has been brought up before. Nobody paid attention but I’m bringing it up again after all the shit that happened in the past week. I can’t even find it on the GitHub issue tracker.

I’m an instance administrator, what the fuck do I do?

Check your pictrs images (good luck) or nuke it. Disable pictrs, restrict sign ups, or watch your database like a hawk. You can also delete your instance.

Good luck.

  • CaptObvious@literature.cafeEnglish
    410·
    1 year ago

    I’m not concerned because people smarter than us have said it isn’t a concern. So long as they preserve their safe harbor shield, instance admins are not generally liable for content posted by users.

    • bmygsbvur@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      86·
      1 year ago

      Who are these people that are smarter than us? Do you know them? What are their qualifications?

      Did you not consider that not everyone is subject to American law and that there are other nations who have different laws? Did you not consider how diverse the Lemmy instances are and most do not fall under American law?

      How come that every Lemmy admin who replied to this post expressed their concern regarding this issue? Explain to me why admins like sunasaurus and db0 are working on tools and solutions to address this problem if, according to you, this is not a concern.

      Are you REALLY SURE that this is NOT a concern?

      • CaptObvious@literature.cafeEnglish
        44·
        1 year ago

        Who are these people that are smarter than us? Do you know them? What are their qualifications?

        I don’t know and I don’t need to know. They are clearly capable of reading sources that are authoritative (e.g. EFF) and applying a modicum of logic and common sense. Their response is rational rather than breathless and dramatic moral panic.

        Did you not consider that not everyone is subject to American law…?

        Of course there are countries other than the US. International safe harbor exists for a reason. Can you name one country that doesn’t have a safe harbor provision for web site hosts? Just one.

        Did you not consider [that] most [instances] do not fall under American law?

        It would be interesting to know how many Lemmy instances don’t fall under US law. I don’t know. Do you? Based on which source?

        How come that every Lemmy admin who replied to this post expressed their concern regarding this issue? Explain to me why admins like sunasaurus and db0 are working on tools and solutions to address this problem if, according to you, this is not a concern.

        So that’s two who are working on tools. Not panicked and not viewing this as a giant problem. Two out of thousands. It’s an exceptionally low percentage and not even remotely statistically significant.

        Are you REALLY SURE that this is NOT a concern?

        A concern? Sure. Is anyone going to prison if they don’t bow to your demands right now as you’ve suggested up and down this thread? Unlikely.

        What is your usual account? Why are you hiding? Do you plan to plant evidence and then call the authorities?

        • bmygsbvur@lemmy.caOPEnglish
          32·
          1 year ago

          Again, you are assuming everything is based on American law. What is up with people always thinking that American laws apply everywhere in the world?

          “Do you plan to plant evidence and then call the authorities?” No but be very careful about statements like this.

          In the end, you admitted that this is a concern anyway. Congrats. Can’t believe it took so much to hammer it into your head.

          • CaptObvious@literature.cafeEnglish
            35·
            1 year ago

            So you’re just going to ignore any inconvenient points and glom onto my agreement that this issue is a small concern? You think that constitutes “winning”?

            TBH, if you need to win an argument with an internet stranger that badly, I’m happy to oblige?

          • CaptObvious@literature.cafeEnglish
            36·
            1 year ago

            I was going to just let it go, but it’s late and my patience is exhausted.

            …be very careful about statements like this.

            Or what? You’ll have your dad beat up my dad?

      • teawrecks@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        23·
        1 year ago

        Qualified person here. You’re spreading FUD.

        The fact that someone can upload illegal content to a lemmy server doesn’t change whether or not it is associated with a post. The two are mutually exclusive issues:

        • moderation of user submitted content
        • moderation of abuse of hosting functionality (illegal or otherwise)

        Both are real issues that need to be addressed, obviously, but it’s simply not the case that a server admin’s only visibility into the content hosted on their server is only that which a user associates with a post. If you know any admins like that, do them a favor and let them know they have no business running a lemmy server.