$7,000 Contest Seeks Better Stock Images For 'Cybersecurity' (theverge.com) 82
An anonymous reader quotes The Verge:
Cybersecurity stock images are predictable at this point: a hooded man with a shadowy face in front of a keyboard or a mysterious person in front of binary code. A design firm called OpenIDEO thinks these images can be better, so it's hosting a contest to entice visual creators to make images that are eye-catching, informative, and clear.
"Cybersecurity," which could mean data breaches, hacks, or policy changes, is a difficult concept to visually represent, so OpenIDEO is going to reward creators for their work. The group, in association with a private organization called the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, issued an open call late last month for cybersecurity-related image submissions with plans to award $7,000 to up to five people.
The contest rules specify they're not looking for "Overused, stereotypical, fear-inducing images of cybersecurity. These create personal misperceptions and aversions, and may lead to a series of repercussions regarding public understanding of cybersecurity and data safety." And there's even a helpful collection of images providing examples of "What we're not looking for."
The deadline for submissions in August 16th, and all finalists must agree to using a Creative Commons license. "We believe that this type of licensing helps ensure your work reaches the widest possible audience..."
"Cybersecurity," which could mean data breaches, hacks, or policy changes, is a difficult concept to visually represent, so OpenIDEO is going to reward creators for their work. The group, in association with a private organization called the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, issued an open call late last month for cybersecurity-related image submissions with plans to award $7,000 to up to five people.
The contest rules specify they're not looking for "Overused, stereotypical, fear-inducing images of cybersecurity. These create personal misperceptions and aversions, and may lead to a series of repercussions regarding public understanding of cybersecurity and data safety." And there's even a helpful collection of images providing examples of "What we're not looking for."
The deadline for submissions in August 16th, and all finalists must agree to using a Creative Commons license. "We believe that this type of licensing helps ensure your work reaches the widest possible audience..."
What's really important (Score:2)
These create personal misperceptions and aversions, and may lead to a series of repercussions regarding public understanding
I'll say, 5 of the 10 images they aren't looking for are people wearing hoodies. I'm glad someone is finally standing up for hacker fashion sense and not letting these myths persist.
Re: What's really important (Score:4, Funny)
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With a Guy Fawkes giving them an anal probe, smiling for the camera.
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Someone crying while looking at their credit score next to the check from equifax for $0.21 in damages after their identity was stolen thanks to a data breach.
FTFY
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I think my preference would be a firing squad for programmers who write SQL injection vulns, but climbing monitors is about the same.
it wuz haxxorz (Score:1)
there is no fixing idiocy with stock photos.
Seems obvious. (Score:5, Insightful)
It should be a picture of a manager laughing at an open folder labeled "security budget proposal". This is a far more accurate representation of the problem.
Re:Seems obvious. (Score:5, Insightful)
A room full of bored Russians posting memes and propaganda.
Some Koreans with a picture of the Dear Leader in the background and a stack of bitcoin miners.
British guys in business apparel checking their latest assignments from the NSA, with one guy in the corner spying on his ex.
Man in India with a headset on, with an open RDP session to grandma's desktop, reading from a script.
I think (Score:2)
It should be a fat guy, typing on a laptop, sitting on his bed in his parent’s basement.
Re: (Score:2)
Your problem, the most important piece of information in your scene is not visible in the scene. You're gonna need extra props, and it all falls apart.
Maybe just make it a basement of unspecified origin.
Cyber security experts are not graphic design/ill (Score:1)
A photo or a vector illustration of cyber security issues does not need to be technically accurate.
The purpose of editorial illustrations is to provoke an emotional response (using a single, simple image) from the reader who is more often than not a layperson.
The concept of cyber security is an abstract, complex thought. You canâ(TM)t simply âoetake a pictureâoe of cyber security. This is why you see photomontages and vector illustrations of a combination of simpler concepts such as crime/c
"Contests" = Free Labor (Score:5, Informative)
You'd have to be an idiot to participate in this. They're just getting a whole bunch of free work then pick the one they like.
Re: (Score:3)
What's the mater with that? There's a sense of pride in being picked that can't be purchased with coins, you know. It's also great experience. It's also that competition brings the best out of peoples' work. I wish people would stop thinking solely in $localcurrency.
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There are coding contests all the time. Some of the brightest coders participate in them.
I think you're just bitter.
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But you can earn a decent price there.
I think you are just ignorant.
And a coding contest usually is not about results that are commercial relevant for the organization conducting the contest.
Re: (Score:2)
You grant to IDEO and any Organizers (as defined below), Challenge Sponsors or Alliance Sponsors (collectively “ Designees”), and to other Users an unrestricted, perpetual, irrevocable, sub-licensable, non-exclusive fully-paid up and royalty-free worldwide license to use any ideas, expression of ideas, Contributions or other materials you submit on this Site without restrictions of any kind and without any payment or other consideration of any kind, or permission or notification, to you or any t
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No, you're wrong. You don't have a license, you're the copyright holder. You never had a license unless you gave yourself one. Which is useless to you. But you can still do it.
The part you're actually upset about is the part where anyone can use it for free. OK, so don't give away any media, and you don't have to worry you might accidentally get famous without a sack of money landing on your head.
I don't understand the fear, but it is a common one.
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If you're a photographer, it is a promotional event.
Just like entering it at the State Fair.
Don't Catch My Eye (Score:2)
I have one idea. (Score:5, Funny)
A photo of Vladimir Putin with a wide grin on his face.
Re: (Score:2)
People want what they expect. (Score:4, Insightful)
The cliche images of "cybersecurity" are not product of creatives that drive consumer fear, it's the other way around.
The general populace has no idea what information security really entails beyond using HTTPS and seeing movies like Hackers. Their perception of the topic based on their limited understanding of technology has already created the hoodie boogeyman in their struggle to attach a "criminal face" (or lack thereof) to the perpetrator. This is mostly because of the cartoonish way mass media portrays "bad people" in art, television, and movies. If you made a hacker in a picture the way they realistically look in life (a mild-mannered, clean cut, probably white guy, possibly an employee of the very company) no one would believe it because their whole understanding of the world is based on this idea moral values somehow translate to your physical appearance. Bad guys will "look bad/evil". In tangible/violent crime this image is built with the look of the "thug". But you can't use that same image for computer crime because the thug archetype is usually based on the idea the person is above average in physical strength but below average in intelligence, or has a mental illness or substance abuse problem clouding their judgment, and the populace equates being proficient in computers with intelligence (regardless of where the truth lies), so the thug/junkie image doesn't seem believable. Enter the mysterious "hoodie" person! Likely young, trying to shield themselves from identification by people or cameras with their trademark garment, In it for money or glory. Not interested in the greater world or politics (this is why folks are not taking the "election interference via social network platforms" stories seriously and leaving Facebook in droves).
If you're making images for a news/feature story on Cybersecurity, you're having to cater to your client/boss's wishes. If someone took an image that more accurately reflected the topic of cybersecurity to their editor/manager/etc, the response they would most likely get is "What's this? Our readers are going to have no idea what this is supposed to represent. Come back with something we can actually use on the site or we'll find someone who can."
So they pay a few winners some bread crumbs (Score:3)
And can pick later from hundreds of submissions?
Guess artistic merit is not the sole criterion (Score:2)
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You do not have a diversified skill set. You only pass butter.
To conform to the meme of gender equality ... (Score:2)
the next shadowy image of a hacker should be female. There is precedent for this sort of thing: a few years ago the list of names of hurricane names [geology.com] was changed from just female names to alternating male & female names.
They could use an image... (Score:2)
of someone purchasing a little box that says "Cybersecurity" out of a sketchy vending machine in a gas station mens room. And trying to pay for it with BTC.
Pfft, that's easy (Score:2)
After someone uploaded a photo of Bruce Schneier, the upload script broke. Further examination indicated it was working fine, it simply returned an HTTP response of 401 (Unauthorized), 406 (Not Acceptable), or 417 (Expectation Failed) on subsequent requests.
Stock photos don't need to convey reality (Score:2)
They need to convey a concept, in a quick glance. The shady hooded guy behind a monitor full of code conveys the concept perfectly.
I'm curious what alternative is going to win though.
Picture of Snowden's password entry (Score:2)
Snowden entering his password: https://security.stackexchange... [stackexchange.com]
Actually, Getty Images already have this concept in stock: https://photos.com/featured/pe... [photos.com]
Re: (Score:2)