body: I have an image on my website, which I created myself.
  I have not added any license. The photo is just there.
  
  
  Google is showing the image in their image search.
  They also modified it by creating a thumbnail in reduced quality.
  The thumbnail seems to be stored on their servers.
  
  
  When you click on the image, Google shows the hint
  "Images may be subject to copyright."
  
  
  I know it's possible to write a robots.txt file to forbid Google to show my image. It's also possible to write them a message.
  
  
  But why is Google allowed to use images without asking for permission?
  I always thought you need a license or permission to redistribute and modify an image of someone else.
  
  
  I am registered to the Google Search Console. Maybe I granted them the right to use my image there, but I don't know.
  I cannot find the image on bing, yahoo or duckduckgo.
  
  
  
title: Why can image search engines use all images without asking for permission?