Like Lolove said, BP requires a link to a social media account to be able to post. Many of the links being posted are simply a login page, or a page for an establishment.
Additionally, there may be some "hacking" going on. I'll give a partial and not-definitive list of the possibilities:
a) A vulnerability somewhere in Backpage's web architecture. It is "extremely unlikely" (understatement!) that any attacker that successfully compromised Backpage would stop at switching around a few pictures, they would do a HELL of a lot more.
This holds true for ANY web site, and goes doubly so for ECCIE. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. You see where it says "vBulletin"? That speaks VOLUMES and I could spend hours writing about caveats, gotchas, and maintenance needs, just based on that.
There can be an issue, not that there is. It means that the issue of security is really complicated and very, very nuanced. It's not "yes" or "no", it is infinite shades of gray.
The chances of local LE employing people who could do something about it: close to 0%. "Public sector doesn't pay well" is the polite way to say it. The FBI would have the resources (as would the NSA or the CIA), but if ECCIE is hosted outside of the USA then the FBI wouldn't have jurisdiction, compromising an investigation. Good luck getting the NSA or the CIA to bother, they have bigger fish to fry.
Ask yourself this: would they really go through that much trouble when there are A LOT of "hobbyists" that are just plain damn fools and get caught the old-fashioned way?
b) That provider that got her pictures switched around? How do you know she doesn't have a sucky password, or she left her computer/phone/tablet unlocked around the wrong person who is now screwing with her?
End users are their worst enemy.
PS: If you can't tell, I am EXTREMELY tech-savvy. I am not your typical end user.
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