We already give up a LOT of data to Social Media sites … notably Facebook and Instagram. Now … Instagram is claiming ownership of your pictures (sort of).
Instagram says it now has the right to sell your photos
Facebook bought Instagram for $1B dollars
in April 2012
Does Instagram own your data?
They say they do. Well, actually they say the “you hereby grant to Instagram a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license to use the Content that you post on or through the Service” Source: nancy nishihira
How much are you willing to give up?
Do you really want your content to be used without your permission?
It probably already is, but not on such a grand scale. Instagram is making a very BIG land grab. If they pull this off it will likely set a precedent for future “free Social media services” that we have all grown accustomed to using.
Something to keep in mind about Photographs:
Pictures and all the metadata are part of this “license” you are granting to Instagram. Note: The metadata from your camera typically includes the GPS coordinates, which includes time and data stamps.
What About The Kids? Are their pics up for grabs too?
Pam Kulik Brings up a good point.
Do you want your kids pictures to be used whenever and wherever the highest bidder decides to use them?
From Declan’s article on C|NET (the inspiration for this post):
That means that a hotel in Hawaii, for instance, could write a check to Facebook to license photos taken at its resort and use them on its Web site, in TV ads, in glossy brochures, and so on -- without paying any money to the Instagram user who took the photo. The language would include not only photos of picturesque sunsets on Waikiki, but also images of young children frolicking on the beach, a result that parents might not expect, and which could trigger state privacy laws.
From the Instagram Privacy Policy – it seems 13 years old is the minimum age to use Instagram. I don’t know what the actual statistics are for Instagram users, but I’d venture to guess there are more than a few sub-teenagers using the site. Potential posting content that they may not want re-used without their permission or the permission of their parents.
Basic Terms: You must be 13 years or older to use this site.
Where do we go from here?
To Instagram’s credit … they are listening.
This was posted today (18 Dec 2012) via Mashable
Here is an interesting counterpoint by Kevin Roose:
Why Are You Freaking Out About Instagram’s New Privacy Policy?
He’s right. What should we expect from a service we pay NOTHING to use. We get what we pay for … and generally we like it.
What will you do?
Drop a note here in the comments or at one of the Social Media channels below. Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments. I promise … I will NOT claim ownership of any or your content.
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