Some guilty web owners try to avoid responsibility and blame by claiming they used a third party to design and implement their websites.
Legally and ethically this does not absolve the site owner. All businesses have a duty to check the credentials of their suppliers and contractors, and still bear ultimate responsibility for the site content. A well-established, professional, competent supplier will have sufficient client liability insurance in place, but is unlikely to need it due to the high quality of their work and attention to sourcing of material used including images and text.
If a website owner gets his website designed by a friend, student, or on the cheap, he should make proper enquiries about the sources used. Failure to do so would demonstrate negligence and a lack of ethics. The buck stops with you.
If you have used a fully professional web designer, and they have “supplied” you with copies of our photos, you have a strong legal case against them for negligence. We suggest you put them under notice, and get them to check and show you their insurance policy.