Google photos look exactly like audit photos

Has anyone else seen this? While looking up gas stations to prep for my route, I occasionally look at the street view to see if I recognize the place. More than once lately, and with different brands, I have seen location pictures with the exact same specifications that the inspection requires. I could swear a shopper has been uploading their audit pics to google. One station had a perfect, all inclusive picture of a pump, the restroom, the sign, overall, etc. Another brand had the same, but with the in-store photos that the shop requires at exactly the angles needed by a shopper. Is google stealing the shoppers' pics? Is a shopper doing it? Is it simply an uncanny coincidence? Have you guys seen this?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/2020 11:32PM by sestrahelena.

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Yes, I have seen this and thought the same thing. I assume the client uploads the photos to give their brand a more attractive web presence. It isn't that far a stretch though that a regular person will naturally end up taking photos similar to ours. I have yet to see any photos of employees from the neck down, lol.

People "share" a lot more stuff online than most of them are aware of. I wonder if some shoppers might unknowingly have their google/cloud settings to allow google to use the photos as it pleases, such as attaching them to the GPS coordinates and posting them.

I just assumed that those photos were photos that mystery shoppers had turned in. Personally, I would feel flattered if they used one of my mystery shopping photos.

If the gas client submits the photos to google that's one thing but if shoppers are doing it, even without realizing, that's a whole other kettle of fish. They are not our photos to distribute. They are for the shops only and confidential per most ICAs.

@sestrahelena wrote:

People "share" a lot more stuff online than most of them are aware of. I wonder if some shoppers might unknowingly have their google/cloud settings to allow google to use the photos as it pleases, such as attaching them to the GPS coordinates and posting them.

So google can just use our photos stored in the cloud without permission? Isnt that a copyright violation?

I don't have any inside information on this particular subject, but I always assumed they use those Google photos in the guidelines to make it easier on editors to spot a fraudulent shop. I'm sure they get some folks that forgot a picture, or are fraudulent shoppers in general, and try to just use the photos from Google.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/2020 09:25PM by KSSPete.

@Susan L. wrote:

@sestrahelena wrote:

People "share" a lot more stuff online than most of them are aware of. I wonder if some shoppers might unknowingly have their google/cloud settings to allow google to use the photos as it pleases, such as attaching them to the GPS coordinates and posting them.

So google can just use our photos stored in the cloud without permission? Isnt that a copyright violation?

Google is very sneaky. It makes money off of everything we do. Finding and shutting down all the permissions a phone is preset to allow is a day- long event. I'm sure I haven't even found them all. The permission may be in the user agreement in some vague language. I don't know. But google knows everything and it got all its information from somewhere, right?

I've actually tried reading a cookie policy or two (those annoying pop ups that you have to agree to before fully seeing an MSC's website) and from my understanding of the very unspecific terms, it sounds like the MSCs are obligated to allow Google access to everything that transpires on their websites. I could be wrong. Or they could be okay with it. Or there is no such thing as "Confidential." I don't know.

if it is on the internet it is FREE game

Not necessesarily true; many photos on the internet are copyrighter.

@KSSPete wrote:

I don't have any inside information on this particular subject, but I always assumed they use those Google photos in the guidelines to make it easier on editors to spot a fraudulent shop. I'm sure they get some folks that forgot a picture, or are fraudulent shoppers in general, and try to just use the photos from Google.

Pretty much every addition to the guidelines is something that a shopper did incorrectly.

Oh yeah, don't do a hotel shop, write the report and then Yelp it. That's a great way to lose the client for the MSC. (Yes, it has happened.)

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Google photos look exactly like audit photos

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