I thought I would offer my perspective on this issue.
I have been using "the internet" for probably the last 16 or 17 years. I've seen many things get hashed out with regards to "what's fair" and what's not, and many of those have required lots of thought, analysis and legal wrangling. From my perspective, a lot of the internet is still like the "Wild West"; many things remain to be considered and more clearly defined.
Although my position has been that anything said in chat should be considered "public", my feelings about using someone elses pictures is different.
My perspective on chat is based mostly in that you are saying something in an area that is nowhere NEAR "private"; as in generally accepted legal practice, anything said in a room where there are "bystanders" is no longer considered private.
Although the pictures in question are posted to the internet, and are generally considered "available", for the most part, when it comes to images of a person, their right to be able to have a "say" in how their photos are used should remain in tact. Gaining a copyright to all photos one might post in order to protect that right is an onerous task, and in general is unreasonable unless you REALLY want to protect "intellectual property". Photos of landscapes and such are different, IMO, as they don't represent something as unique as a PERSON.
I don't recall many of the specifics, however recall that frequently "model releases" must be obtained if images of a person are to be used publicly. Most notably this comes to mind in the "Girls Gone Wild" videos; there has been plenty of instances where they not only needed to prove the age of the "models", but also that they had permission to use their images and/or likeness.
Although I think there are still many things to be hashed out with regards to this type of situation and electronic media, I personally feel that we - as members of this board - should take the high road and not use a PRIVATELY POSTED individuals photos without their permission. If someone uses someone elses PRIVATELY POSTED photo, and they are asked not to, I think we should respect that request if only as a courtesy to one another as good citizens.
I think that posting to a web site such as MySpace or Facebook or something is different; there they are ENCOURAGING the viewing of their photos. Something like photobucket is different in that it's basically a repository to place images so that they are readily available via the internet.
Please keep in mind that there are many subtleties that make "hard and fast" "rules" difficult to establish. There's still a lot of "touchy-feely", sometimes intangible things that need to be taken into consideration when forming these opinions and/or taking a position on issues. Often, there can be what seems like contradiction to previously stated opinion/positions. In my experience that is where those subtleties come into play, and what makes sense to some just won't make sense to others (because of life or other experiences, for example).
This is only my opinion, however it is a considered one. I've seen a lot through the years, and my opinion is based on that knowledge and experience... Because my life and professional experience is different than yours, your opinion may vary.
So. There you have it.
Also, regarding freedom of speech, that IS a right we are granted as citizens of the United States of America. However, one must also recall that although we HAVE that freedom, we are also to understand and EXPECT that we cannot say what we like with impunity; if I threaten to shoot the President, for example, I shouldn't be surprised when Black Helicopters land in my front yard and I'm assaulted by the Feds. Same goes here; if someone thinks they can say whatever they want here, that's fine. But the standards put in place here differ than the public. Things such as hate I'm pretty sure won't be tolerated here.
All in all I really enjoy this community, and for the most part, the mods pretty much leave things alone. Although my opinion on some "mod" things differ on occasion, overall, they're pretty lenient and fairly "on target" over here. I've seen much more draconian places to hang out, that's for sure...
Have a good weekend...
:beer: