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Update, 2/18/09: In response to public outcry, Facebook reverted to its old Terms of Service temporarily. In addition, from their statement:
“We hope you’ll join this group and post comments. We promise to use these comments to help construct a new Terms of Use that reflects the principles around how people share and control their information, and that’s written clearly in language everyone can understand.”
For the record, I’m glad to see this rapid response on Facebook’s part. But the fact that they were capable of such a giant misstep in the first place leaves me reluctant to trust them. My profile is deleted, and I’ll be staying off there for the time being while this story unfolds.
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(My original post, in case you’re interested in the origins of the story:)
I’m interrupting the usual crafty programming to share with you something I just learned about Facebook.
As stated in this this post on Consumerist, Facebook recently changed its Terms of Service. They now claim to own everything you post to Facebook. Forever. Even if you delete your account.
Check out the language:
“You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof.”
Find a bit more detail on Mashable.
For those of us using Facebook to help market a small creative business, this is horrible. What’s even more awful is that Facebook would make this change without notifying its users.
I’m not posting another original image or thought to Facebook unless this language changes significantly. I’ll continue feeding in my Twitter updates, but might even reconsider that.
I’m also making sure that none of my blog posts or Flickr photos feed into Facebook. If you’re already feeding your content there, here is a way to disable those feeds:
1. Go to your Profile page.
2. Locate the Import button in the menu bar. (See the orange square above?)
3. Click that, and you’ll see all the import features. The ones you’re currently using appear at the bottom.
4. Click the “X” next to the ones you’d like to disable.
Holy cow! That is really creepy. Running over to Facebook right now to make sure they won’t own any of me! ;-)
Thanks for posting about this, Diane!
Holy cow! That is really creepy. Running over to Facebook right now to make sure they won’t own any of me! ;-)
Thanks for posting about this, Diane!
… ….
That is even-star being speachless.
Is what they have said there even LEGAL in the real world? Surely it would not be legel for them to NOT inform current users that the terms have changed. Guess I am done with Facebook.
Glad someone put it out there!
… ….
That is even-star being speachless.
Is what they have said there even LEGAL in the real world? Surely it would not be legel for them to NOT inform current users that the terms have changed. Guess I am done with Facebook.
Glad someone put it out there!
This is why I’ve never imported my rss feeds into facebook, as there has always been a similar TOS agreement. I post links to my new posts, but don’t directly import feeds. I think facebook is an excellent contact management tool, and the “pages” tools can be excellent for marketing purposes, but I would be wary of directly importing any content that is important to you in terms of your intellectual property. (Although I would say the same for other services, including the much-loved flickr. I have personally have had quite a bit of content “stolen” from one of my sites, so I’m very sensitive about content hijacking.)
This is why I’ve never imported my rss feeds into facebook, as there has always been a similar TOS agreement. I post links to my new posts, but don’t directly import feeds. I think facebook is an excellent contact management tool, and the “pages” tools can be excellent for marketing purposes, but I would be wary of directly importing any content that is important to you in terms of your intellectual property. (Although I would say the same for other services, including the much-loved flickr. I have personally have had quite a bit of content “stolen” from one of my sites, so I’m very sensitive about content hijacking.)
Thanks for posting this! I would not have known about this if it weren’t for my subscription to your feed. I’ve removed my imports into FB, which were really convenient. The scariest part is the language which makes it sound as though they own any information you post on Facebook, including profile information and links to other websites. That blows my mind.
Thanks for posting this! I would not have known about this if it weren’t for my subscription to your feed. I’ve removed my imports into FB, which were really convenient. The scariest part is the language which makes it sound as though they own any information you post on Facebook, including profile information and links to other websites. That blows my mind.
what I don’t get is why they didn’t notify us of the upcoming changes and give users a chance to delete their content. Surely if they can display ads site wide they can contact their users.
I feel ill about this and tweeted your post above.
what I don’t get is why they didn’t notify us of the upcoming changes and give users a chance to delete their content. Surely if they can display ads site wide they can contact their users.
I feel ill about this and tweeted your post above.
Wow, this whole sit. is jank! Thanks for the info, pulled my blog feed and all my artwork photo albums, SAD!
Wow, this whole sit. is jank! Thanks for the info, pulled my blog feed and all my artwork photo albums, SAD!
WHAT!? There are videos of my choreography on Facebook that my students have posted. This is awful!!!
WHAT!? There are videos of my choreography on Facebook that my students have posted. This is awful!!!
Thanks for the warning! I just went and scrubbed my account. Blech!
Thanks for the warning! I just went and scrubbed my account. Blech!
You are again providing such a valuable service.
I tweeted this, but I’ll blab again: I was a member of facebook for 5 minutes, then read about it, then unsubscribed. First: I don’t give murdoch a shred of support if I can possibly help it. Second: I can do whatever facebook lets me do, through the non-vulture venues.
Third: if I get just one more sign-in ID and password, my wife will divorce me. Too expensive!
You are again providing such a valuable service.
I tweeted this, but I’ll blab again: I was a member of facebook for 5 minutes, then read about it, then unsubscribed. First: I don’t give murdoch a shred of support if I can possibly help it. Second: I can do whatever facebook lets me do, through the non-vulture venues.
Third: if I get just one more sign-in ID and password, my wife will divorce me. Too expensive!
Also this “(ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and ” makes it sound like if someone else posts your content through a share link, then they own it as well even if you, yourself, aren’t on FB. Um, no thanks! Off to remove my share links on my blog.
Also this “(ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and ” makes it sound like if someone else posts your content through a share link, then they own it as well even if you, yourself, aren’t on FB. Um, no thanks! Off to remove my share links on my blog.
WOW. Thanks for posting this. Going to clean up my FB page immediately!
WOW. Thanks for posting this. Going to clean up my FB page immediately!
Thanks Diane. I’ve joined the boycott list & added that as my last “update” until they change. Not cool. I’ve posted some of my artwork there and they DO NOT own any rights to it.
Thanks Diane. I’ve joined the boycott list & added that as my last “update” until they change. Not cool. I’ve posted some of my artwork there and they DO NOT own any rights to it.
You gotta wonder how far reaching the FB “we own it all” statement can go. What if someone (not you) posts a photo of your work (say they got a handmade gift they are excited about) and FB decides they own it? It’s like the wall of protection you think you have gets thinner everyday.
You gotta wonder how far reaching the FB “we own it all” statement can go. What if someone (not you) posts a photo of your work (say they got a handmade gift they are excited about) and FB decides they own it? It’s like the wall of protection you think you have gets thinner everyday.
Creepy!
Creepy!
Do you know if this applies only to personal pages? I made a business page for my shop, and I don’t know whether to delete it or not.
Do you know if this applies only to personal pages? I made a business page for my shop, and I don’t know whether to delete it or not.
Thank you for letting us know! I guess I won’t be adding more pictures there… :s I like it as a way to know about the persons I knew at school, so I don’t want to quit. But I don’t like the idea of them using everything I’d upload there.
Thank you for letting us know! I guess I won’t be adding more pictures there… :s I like it as a way to know about the persons I knew at school, so I don’t want to quit. But I don’t like the idea of them using everything I’d upload there.
If the things I’m posting are just links, I don’t see any problem. Don’t think anyone can ‘own’ a link. Or am I just being stupid? Hmm, have to read more into this. thnx for warning! xo
If the things I’m posting are just links, I don’t see any problem. Don’t think anyone can ‘own’ a link. Or am I just being stupid? Hmm, have to read more into this. thnx for warning! xo
Thanks Diane! I’m sorry not to see you on FB, but jeez! I just deleted my blog feed and posts, and my photos that might be of interest to them. This is so sad and terrible.
Does anyone know- Can I post a link, and retain rights to it?
AND- If I deleted content during the interim “reversion back to the original policy” but DIDN’T delete my account, do they own archived content unless I delete my entire account?
Who needs this stress?
Thanks Diane! I’m sorry not to see you on FB, but jeez! I just deleted my blog feed and posts, and my photos that might be of interest to them. This is so sad and terrible.
Does anyone know- Can I post a link, and retain rights to it?
AND- If I deleted content during the interim “reversion back to the original policy” but DIDN’T delete my account, do they own archived content unless I delete my entire account?
Who needs this stress?