Thank you for asking.
Actually, the basic rule of thumb is quite simple:
- If you have created the content (an image / artwork / photo / video / piece of text) yourself: 👍 Yes, you can use it on Steemit.
- If you have found the content on the internet: 😡 No, you should not use it on Steemit, because you are not the original creator.
- If you have received the content via e-mail / message / whatsapp message: 😡 No, you should not use it on Steemit, because you are not the original creator.
But there is a gray zone area as well.
- IF you have created a big piece of content by yourself (for example, a long piece of text), you may use a smaller piece of content (for example, a small image) to illustrate the main piece of content, IF you can proof that you are allowed to use the “smaller piece”, if you state that it was not created by you, if you name the original creator and cite (and link) the source. The Steemit community expects that about 80% of a post is made by you.
For example, if you make a long post about a holiday, you may use a “free for commercial use” image from Pexels.com or Pixabay.com to illustrate it, if you name, cite, and link the original website.
To come back to your question: if you receive some content via e-mail / message / whatsapp message, typically you do not know the original creator. Therefore, in this case, you cannot use this “gray zone” rule, and 😡 no, you cannot use the image.
If you do not obey these rules, you are violating Steemit community anti-spam rules which will get you flagged by the community, and you are also violating international copyright laws which will get you in serious legal trouble. Copy/pasting the content others have made is called plagiarism and is a serious offense.
In fact, the Steemit community anti-spam rules are explained in the Steemit FAQ which you really should read.
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