Reddit, an internet site that provides a social and community platform for its members to freely create and regulate forums of any subject, has recently been the focus of much criticism (and rightfully so) for housing a medium that enables its members to secretly photograph women in public (without their consent) and post them online for the masses to gawk at and drool over.

These photographs have been dubbed “creepshots,” aptly named since it describes the people that participate, approves and/or view this kind of lewd behavior and practice. These photographs usually contain illicit or provocative images, usually emphasizing a certain area of the body, of random oblivious women. These women are either in a provoking gesture or wearing an enticing outfit.

Conduct such as this is downright shameful and offensive, and shouldn’t be accepted.

This problem doesn’t only pertain to Reddit, as other social sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr are plagued with this issue. This led to a debate between the Internet community and activists on the regards of free speech and the right to privacy.

An outcry has been poured onto Reddit to remove all postings of the “creepshots” and any other related forums, from its site, as well bringing forth its members posting these foul images for the violation of privacy. Reddit has taken action on this matter due and has removed any forums relating to “creepshots.”

On the other side, members of these forums argue that if Reddit reveals their information, it would be a violation of their free speech and a breach of privacy, which these members are entitled to in accordance to the site’s user agreement. If Reddit does hand over their information, some members urged a boycott of the social news site as a form of protest.

With this, they feel as if they should be protected from any scrutiny and punishment from the government or any other authoritative groups.

That notion is ridiculous. Being able to post illegitimate indecent photos of women isn’t in any way an argument for free speech. And the argument for their privacy rights is highly hypocritical, as they blatantly disregarded the privacy the women that they photograph.

Not only are these postings borderline criminal, they greatly cross the line of morality and into vulgarity.  This is an issue of what’s ethical in today’s society, which in comparison to those of the past, has declined tremendously.

These members aren’t protesting for free speech. They’re protesting in order to keep their disgusting hobby of voyeurism going. They’re protesting their anonymity because they are ashamed of what they’re doing and are afraid of what people might think if their identities were to be known.

Women shouldn’t be treated as objects of desire or lust for men to degrade. By depicting women in such a manner as these “creepshots” do is greatly disrespectful and vile, and should be removed.