Vancouver woman’s pictures taken, sold without consent

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A Vancouver woman has found pictures and videos of herself online she didn’t even know existed, and she’s not the only one.

“[It’s] definitely an invasion of privacy. Not even just for the photos that were posted of me on social media on an account I’m not aware of, actually on multiple accounts I’m not aware of, but also in the sense that this person followed me home,” Amanda Gieschen says.

“They know where I live. They know where I go.”

Photos and videos show Gieschen walking with the focus on particular parts of her body, and appeared online without her consent.

Based on the posts, Gieschen says someone has also followed and filmed her walking her dog and, on a separate occasion, shopping.

“It makes you feel unsafe.”

Videos and photos of her posted to TikTok were traced back to a website, where the images can be purchased.

Not exactly a crime

Despite Gieschen concerns over the footage, it doesn’t seem to be an actual crime, according to the director of the International CyberCrime Research Centre.

“The people being videotapes might feel threatened, in which case it’s leading up to assault. But aside from that, they’re recording in public, and that doesn’t seem to be a crime,” says Richard Frank.

“If minors are involved, these websites do tend to want to take action because they don’t want to be affiliated with that sort of activity.”

However, Frank says proving it is actually a minor in the footage can be difficult.

Voyeurism and people taking photos like this is a gray area, says Sgt. Aaron Roed of the Vancouver Police Department.

“We don’t want people to investigate them themselves,” he says.

“Every incident is going to be taken on its own merit. For someone taking photographs in public, obviously it’s not illegal. But if they are taking it in a way where safety may be an issue, with children, or taken in a sexually explicit manner, we want the Vancouver Police to be aware, to be noticed so we can attend and investigate these incidents.”

Roed adds if someone does feel like they’re becoming a victim of a crime, to call the non-emergency police line. For Vancouver, call 604.717.3321.

Frank asserts a permanent solution isn’t just a click away.

“If that person or website is located in a country that will honour our warrants, then there’s a good chance we can actually reach that person, or ask for the content to be removed from that server,” he explains.

Otherwise, Frank says it’s up to that country to decide what actions are taken, if any.

Hundreds of photos

Gieschen might not be the only one being targeted.

CityNews found hundreds of women and teenagers taken from inappropriate angles throughout the Lower Mainland.

There were photos from places like Holland Park and the Richmond Oval.

“I don’t even know how they got those angles. I don’t even know how I didn’t notice that there was someone that close to me,” Gieschen says.

For now, she asks for others to stay informed and be aware of their surroundings.

“That is the most important. You never know who you’re walking by on the street. You never know who you might bump into. You never know their intentions.”