1 Rewriting history is a crimeI have been sitting with this story for a few weeks now, wondering why I have been feeling so haunted by that doctored photograph that Piff the Brute
found for us in Reply # 15, and trying to come to terms with the enormity of the crime this 'Sara Eaglewoman' has committed.
I sat for quite a while switching back and forth between the genuine image and the fake one, wondering how it is that this person, with a completely straight face, can have the barely believable gall to misuse computer tools to airbrush a Native woman out and insinuate her own smug self in her place, standing next to a certain important Native gentleman who, I understand, is highly respected.
As a foreigner coming here, I have also been hesitant to wade in with white comment, preferring to wait for more informed persons than myself to say something more.
But the issues that image-manipulation raises cross more than one cultural divide: this is about the criminal rewriting of history - and that at least is a universal. I can relate, in my own culture, to the warnings of how evil can enter the world from George Orwell's terrifying novel of a future dystopia,
Nineteen Eighty-Four. Here, the Ministry of Truth (which deals in propaganda) is continually engaged in rewriting history - text, images, everything - in order to maintain the totalitarian power structure.
Till now, I thought only nazis and certain despotic régimes and tyrants did this.
Rewriting history in any form is a crime against Ancestors; and also against Children. How can future generations know who they are and where they come from, if some ignorant and callous pseudo-'healer' has stolen their core identity, their Ancestors? How can those future cultures survive, then?
I honestly wonder whether 'Sara Eaglewoman' in her 'wisdom' fully understands what line she has crossed and what that truly means. As a self-appointed 'enlightened healer', does she understand how her selfish and predatory marketing effort to acquire paying clients is propagating the weeds and seeds of evil?
And it is especially heinous that this person has abused these important Native Ancestors. Even some white people like myself know just a little of the true historical circumstances around them.
If anyone had done this to any of my ancestors I would be feeling enraged enough to take action, including seeking legal advice. I do not even dare to imagine what the True Descendants of these two Native persons might be thinking and feeling about SE right now.
2 Misusing computer toolsComputer tools can be used neutrally, creatively or destructively, and I hope SE will now come to understand that she has made an egregious error.
I don't think she understands that if she misuses computers to lie to the world at large, and to foreigners like me, then she also must accept that people worldwide can also view her crimes for what they are.
Fortunately, there are certain steps that can be taken against her, and it would not surprise me if people have already been in hot pursuit of her case.
First, Facebook has clear rules about the use and abuse of that site. Their Terms and Policies are comprehensive and crystal clear.
https://www.facebook.com/policies/?ref=pfAnd here is an extract from the Help section:
https://www.facebook.com/help/428478523862899/Image Privacy Rights
This part of the Help Center contains information about privacy rights as they relate to photos and videos posted on Facebook. Sometimes, people reading this section are actually looking for help with other things. If you see your issue below, click on it for help:
• Impostor accounts
• Hacked accounts
• Abuse and harassment
• Intellectual Property (ex: copyright)
Remember that you can report abuse by using the Report links located near most pieces of content on Facebook. If you're tagged in a photo or video you don't like, you can remove the tag by clicking the Remove Tag link next to your name. Your name will be removed and the content will no longer be associated with your Timeline. We also encourage you to get in touch with the person who posted this content in order to resolve the issue with them directly. Learn more.
Reporting Photos & Videos That Violate Your Privacy Rights
Facebook provides people with ways to report photos and videos that they believe to be in violation of their privacy rights. We'll remove photos and videos that you report as unauthorized if this is required by relevant privacy laws in your country, as long as the reported content involves you, your child (under 13) or another person for whom you are the legal representative or guardian. Photos or videos involving anyone else will need to be reported by the individual themselves.
I live in the US and want to report a photo or video that violates my privacy.
• If you're under the age of 18 and you think a photo or video on Facebook should be removed because it violates your rights, please fill out this form.
• If you're an adult living in a country where the law may not require the removal of unauthorized photos for privacy rights reasons, we might not remove the image you're reporting. We encourage you to contact the person who posted the photo or video in order to resolve this issue. If you have any questions about this, please review our Data Policy.
Now, we do not know which software she used to carry out the fakery; but Adobe Photoshop, for example, as a prominent software provider, also has clear Terms and Conditions. Here is an extract from:
https://www.adobe.com/uk/legal/general-terms.html5. User Conduct.
5.1 Responsible Use. The Adobe communities often consist of users who expect a certain degree of courtesy and professionalism. You must use the Services responsibly.
5.2 Misuse. You must not misuse the Services, Software, or content that we provide to you as part of the Services. For example, you must not:
(a) copy, modify, host, stream, sublicense, or resell the Services, Software, or content;
(b) enable or allow others to use the Service, Software, or content using your account information;
(c) use the content or Software included in the Services to construct any kind of database;
(d) access or attempt to access the Services by any means other than the interface we provided or authorized;
(e) circumvent any access or use restrictions put into place to prevent certain uses of the Services;
(f) share content or engage in behavior that violates anyone’s Intellectual Property Right (“Intellectual Property Rights” means copyright, moral rights, trademark, trade dress, patent, trade secret, unfair competition, right of privacy, right of publicity, and any other proprietary rights.);
(g) upload or share any content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, tortious, defamatory, libelous, vulgar, lewd, profane, invasive of another’s privacy, or hateful;
(h) impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;
(i) attempt to disable, impair, or destroy the Services, software, or hardware;
(j) disrupt, interfere with, or inhibit any other user from using the Services (such as stalking, intimidating, or harassing others, inciting others to commit violence, or harming minors in any way),
(k) engage in chain letters, junk mails, pyramid schemes, spamming, or other unsolicited messages;
(l) place advertisement of any products or services in the Services;
(m) use any data mining or similar data gathering and extraction methods in connection with the Services; or
(n) violate applicable law.
See especially Conditions (h and l). If SH used Photoshop, she is clearly in contravention of both.
Terms and Conditions are a universal amongst all reputable internet providers; there is no excuse for SH not knowing. See for example the relevant lines from this extract from WebUrbanist:
http://weburbanist.com/terms/5. Restrictions on Use of the Website
In your use of the Website, you shall not:
post, transmit or submit any confidential, false, misleading, unlawful, infringing, threatening, abusive, harassing, libelous, defamatory, discriminatory, obscene, inflammatory, scandalous, pornographic or profane material or any material that could constitute or encourage conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or would otherwise violate the law;
impersonate or misrepresent your affiliation with someone else;
use the Website to advertise or perform any commercial solicitation.
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[extract edited down to relevant lines]
I await 'Sara Eaglewoman's' response with interest. I am not interested in the opinions of any of her not-very-bright apologists.
