Thieves!! At it Again

I was working on another piece when this issue surfaced today (isn't that how it always goes?). Now, I can't concentrate on anything until I've written this problem out. I hope everyone's ready for a soapbox speech. So here goes!

It seems that while Vocal was busy fighting bots (grr, AI bots), plagiarists were busy making themselves right at home. A lot of new accounts have flared up this month, and I'm sure most are legit, but there are quite a few that are AI bots and plagiarists thieves. Everywhere I turn, there's a new account, some with no posts and some with an ample-sized portfolio already published.

Now, I know most of you are thinking, "Not my problem. That's what I pay to use this site for, so I don't have to worry about stuff like this. My work isn't being stolen, so why should I care."

Well, first, let me say, if you haven't had your work plagiarized, congratulations. You don't know the pain that one goes through when it happens. I hope you never do. Personally, I have had three stolen, and each time it's like a sucker punch, robbing me of my air, taking me completely by surprise. The closest I can describe it is rape. An assault on one's intellect (I mean no offense to any sexual assault survivor).

Second, you live under a rock if you write anything on any site and think that this problem doesn't concern you. For this issue concerns all writers, everywhere. We all need to unite against the plagiarists, telling them we will not stand for it anymore.

Third, if you don't think it'll concern you yet, then how's this one: Vocal would have to raise rates in order to afford the staff needed to fight this battle that's "not your problem". Possibly even doing away with the free account completely, in order to write checks. Vocal is a growing site, and it would take innumerable man hours just to monitor every niche. Sure, Vocal uses AI programs, which look for specifics, but as with any program, it is fallible.

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Now, I don't expect you to go out of your way. You don't have to go that far to make a change. Generally, the stories and poems stolen are the Top Stories (or really old ones), so if you come across something that sounds or looks familiar, search for it in the Vocal Search Bar. 95% of the time, if it's a cloned or plagiarized story, it will show up in the search twice. One will be the original and the other will be the stolen piece. Report it, or at least tell the author so that they can report it.

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I have listed Vocal's Plagiarism Report Form at the end of my article. If you have been plagiarized, know that you are not alone. Many of us are there with you, and know how you feel. If you ever have any questions on what to do, always feel free to reach out to other users. Many of us are helpful and friendly and want to see all of us succeed.

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A/N: Below I have included physical evidence of some of what has been dealt with today. With AI, Bots, and Plagiarists thieves there is always something going on here at Vocal. Just when I thought I had caught up with my reading from the Bot attack, a rash of story wranglers breaks out, and it looks like I'll be on the hunt, rounding up stolen stories and poems.

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The screenshot below is of an account that thinks it's okay to plagiarize author bios. It starts small, grows bigger. What will stop him from stealing your poems and stories? I know for a fact that Dharr did not give him permission to use her words, in her formatting, and in her "voice". Is this alright? When will it not be alright? When it happens to you? I for one don't want anyone using my bio, and I will state that loud and clear. We need to stand up and say nu-huh, that ain't right!

The screenshot below shows six poems, with two poems circled. The top poem that's in the circle is stolen from Paul. The bottom poem in the circle is a stolen poem from me. I will admit that the other poems sound vaguely familiar to me when I read them, but I cannot place when I read them or where I read them. I didn't find the others in the search when I looked.

Dharr's account, if anyone wishes to compare the screenshot to her profile. I can only hope Dharr holds firm and keeps her profile blurb up, until maybe we can get something done about this. The author bios we have on our profiles should not be generically-used, but unique to each writer. No one should be allowed to copy them. ⤵⤵

Paul's Original Poem, in all it's glory, is linked here: ⤵⤵

My mediocre poem that was stolen (the third one!) is linked here: ⤵⤵

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If you or an author you know has been a victim of plagiarism, don't delay. Act now. Report the stolen piece in Vocal's Plagiarism Report form and get what belongs to you, returned. Use this form, linked below: ⤵⤵