If I'm going to use an avatar, I want it to mean something to me. I have 3 or 4 avatars I will use.
- The one you see here on this site.
- An MRI picture of my brain. As the image has my name on it, someone would be foolish to use that as their own.
- Another photo of me taken recently.
- A fork in the road. I was in Louisiana once, and while walking I came across an actual fork in the road. So, I took a picture of it.
Now, since I am the owner of all those photos, I would not want other people to use them without my permission. If they want to use my photo (avatar 1 or 3 in my list), they'll have to take the rest of my body as well. However, I don't think they would want to do so. With the body comes many health challenges.
The MRI picture is something that I hold dear. There are many memories attached to it. I'd likely not allow anyone else to use it. Period.
There are many people on this site that I know by the photo. I can understand why some people may not want to use their actual photo of themself. However, it is not that difficult to take a photo of something and then use that photo. Or, perhaps find an image that doesn't misrepresent you.
I've also come across users with names of famous people. Again, it's not hard to create a name that doesn't misrepresent you.
So, I guess it does bug me.