Pictures on web sites?

anyone know what the standing is on people posting pics on websites?

e.g http://www.moono.com/index.cfm?page=atoz

surely they havent got permission to have over 80 pics of each celeb?

or: http://www.askmen.com/women/2003_top_99/81.html

what is the legal standpoint on this? and if you do host such pics without permission, what is the likelyhood of being prosecuted?

they were probably poor examples, both sites seem very professional.

But there are numerous sites out there with tons of pics, and i am sure 99% dont have permission. So whats the official verdict?

If you took the pictures then I believe that you have every right to display them.
If you take them from someone elses site and display them on yours without permission then you'd be violating copyright laws.

While you may have taken a photograph you may not have the right to display or publish it. With exceptions a person generally has the right to control images of their likeness. If you snap a close-up photograph of me I can litigate you for damages if I appear on your website without you securing a proper release from me. If you've ever had your photo taken by a newspaper photographer chances are you've seen such a release form and were asked to sign it.

On the other hand, if you took a picture of a busy downtown scene with lots of people, if those people can reasonably be assumed "background" then you do not need their permission.

Public officials are generally exempted from any of this, that's part of the price one pays for being a public official is the complete loss of any expectation of privacy.

As for Randy Johnson ... well ...