# Discourage and report illegal practices

**URL:** <https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/discourage-and-report-illegal-practices/26576>\
**Category:** Feature Requests\
**Created:** [September 22, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/discourage-and-report-illegal-practices/26576 "2021-09-22T14:44:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 25

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**Author:** ![tiwane](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tiwane/32/54612_2.png) [@tiwane](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tiwane)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:32pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/discourage-and-report-illegal-practices/26576/25 "2021-09-22T21:32:03Z")

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Obviously we don’t want to encourage illegal behavior when it comes to protected species, but I think building a community that educates users about appropriate behavior would be more powerful and less likely to backfire than having an easily accessible label anyone could slap onto an observation. DQA votes and ID disgreements already engender rancor - finding that a stranger annotated one’s observation as “illegal” would be much worse, I think. Especially if the person had a permit or if they were unaware their behavior violated a law. And if someone says they have a permit, how would we obtain evidence of it?

I’d be for iNat as an app/website to raise awareness, like during onboarding or alerting users when they’ve observed a thretened species, or _maybe_ via some sort of content rating, but even that last one could be pretty fraught. Education and awareness, to me, are the more effective approaches.

> [@wildwestnature](#):
>
> We hope that anyone communicating with an observer who has posted a photo of illegal activity would present them with information (facts) and not publicly shame, humiliate, guilt, or threaten the observer, even in our zeal to protect species.

I couldn’t agree more, although sometimes it’s difficult when you’re emotional. But providing people with information and solutions rather than shaming or scolding (eg when someone kills a snake in their yard) is, I think much more effective. The goal is to change behavior, not make someone feel guilty.

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