How to See Where Your Photos Are Being Used Illegally Online

If you’re a photographer, or even just occasionally upload images to your website, you’re probably concerned about people stealing your pictures. Unfortunately, it’s easy for people to take photos that don’t belong to them online.

Since you could be making money with those photos, having someone steal them isn’t just insult—it’s injury. But how can you know when these infringements happen? Fortunately, you don’t have to track them down on your own.

How to See Who’s Using Your Photos Illegally Online

Pixsy is one service that can help you track down illegal uses of your photos. You’ll need to create a free account, and link your photo hosting platform to it. Pixsy supports Flickr, 500px, Instagram, Dropbox, and more. If you use another service, you can upload images manually.

Once you’ve added some images, Pixsy will keep track of them and watch for unauthorized uses. You can easily review these through your dashboard when they happen.

What’s more, Pixsy will help you take legal action against photo thieves. With a paid plan, you can send automated takedown notices to those who use your pictures without permission. And when you decide to take action, Pixsy handles the whole process.

A team collects evidence, handles documents, and negotiates a settlement while keeping you up to date. This is free, and you’re only charged a fee if they successfully win a case. Pixsy does take 50 percent of the settlement, but you could still end up with thousands of dollars from just a few clicks and some patience.

The free service allows you to monitor up to 500 images, but doesn’t include any takedown notices. You can still submit as many cases as you like on the free plan though. If you need more, plans start at $19/month.

Pixsy is just one step in fighting back against illegal photo use. Check out other ways to track down stolen photos.