People in photos - guidelines do not agree

I would have sworn that all the photo guidelines posted everywhere had been corrected to read as stated here https://wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/new/help/photo-guidelines

The following should not be submitted and, when reviewing, should be considered as rejection criteria:

Includes prominent people, body parts, or live animals

However, today I noticed the part about being the focus is still left off here:
https://wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/new/criteria/guidelines

Don’t submit images that are of the following (they should be rejected):

Includes people, body parts, or live animals

The Rejection Criteria link has the “as the subject matter” wording
https://niantic.helpshift.com/hc/en/21-wayfarer/faq/2774-rejection-criteria/?l=en&p=web

We saw an appeal today rejected for having people in the main photo, so I believe the appeals team is confused on this, too. Which is it? Can incidental human beings be in the main photo?

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I am a little unclear if you are looking for a general discussion or for a specific case to be reviewed?

I think this is an area for a judgement call each time.

People including children may not be prominent or the focus but sometimes you judge they may be recognisable. I try to put myself in the shoes of those people that might be in the photo and consider would I find it intrusive? I consider the context of the photo too.

I have stood around waiting for people to move or changed position to find an angle where I can take a photo without people as far as possible.

I think each case can be different.

I am looking for clarification on the guideline. There is a separate case that has a separate topic that prompted this question. Which is it? Are photos with people just not allowed at all as indicated one place in the guidelines, or are they just not allowed to be “prominent” or “the subject matter”?

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There is a separate guideline for “recognizable faces” that this would fall under. Now to find where that is said …

Aha! that is here, too https://wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/new/criteria/guidelines under the don’t submit section:

  • Photos with recognizable faces or license plates

My understanding was always that people can be in photos, particularly in busy areas such as tourist places, city centres etc where it is unreasonable to expect to see the area clear of people.

My understanding was that unidentifiable people in the background of a picture are therefore not an issue, and while we should try to take a picture without people, it shouldn’t mean everything containing a person should be rejected

I reject photos containing a close up of a person, a person as the subject matter, or a person’s full face where they’d be recognisable. I would accept a picture with someone in the distance, either so far away their face isnt visible/is blurry, or witu their back to the camera.

Am I correct, or incorrect? I would like some clarity too

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I have now seen that. :+1:

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I would say that the issue is with recognisable faces, even if you zoom in.. don’t assume that whatever game it is in question will thumbnail the person so they are unrecognisable.

Body parts means things accidentally in shop such as fingers and other appendages, IMO.

There’s also an issue with “submitter identifiable” where someone in the shot can be tied to the submitter. I’ve seen this a few times where one submitter often has another person in the supporting photo.

Digital effects such as a magic eraser or coarse pixellation can make the problem go away, or simply cropping the people out of the picture. Remember that you can take a photo, edit it and than submit it as an existing photo.

agree, and that is listed separately as a reason to reject. but the guideline one place says people are not allowed in the photo and other places that they are but not prominently or as the focus. that is the issue i am raising. maybe i need to edit the title if i still can.

done. does that edit make clearer what i am asking about?

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I think you are very clear, and the guidance and tool-tips need to be consistent and coherent, otherwise submitting and reviewing become too much of a craps-shoot, and everybody suffers.

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