Facebook Caves In Over Terms Of Service Backlash

Facebook has done an about-face, reverting back to its original terms of service.

As you likely heard, Facebook recently made a substantial change in the language of its terms of service, giving Facebook the rights to use your content—including photos and videos—any way it wants into eternity, even after your account is closed.

Facebook users freaked out. While some high-profile members, like Sasha Frere-Jones, who writes about music for The New Yorker, quit Facebook in protest, tens of thousands of Facebook users joined Facebook groups like People Against The New Terms Of Service.

It wasn't long before Facebook bowed to the pressure, announcing its change of heart just last night.

That said, this battle for the rights to our Facebook content isn't necessarily over. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the company will work on a revision of the terms but will give Facebook users a chance to voice their opinions on how it should be written, according to The Wall Street Journal. We'll see how much say we really have.

Were you one of those people who were up in arms over Facebook's change in its terms of service? Or did you think that Facebook was within its rights to claim ownership of our content forevermore?

Comments

[mike]

no one is going to use my persnol info with out my promission

and i dont wont anyone person or persons useing it. iam on here becaues i have contected family not fame!

[WTF]

Holy crap. That dude before me sounds like an idiot. But aside from the typographical and grammatical issues I have with the statement, I just wanted to say that "personal info" is no longer personal once you post it online. It is then a part of the public domain and best of luck to you in controlling it in any way, shape or form.

[Mark]

WTF sums it all up, nothing is private or secret as long as one other person knows about it. There is always the chance someone will use information they have on you against you sometime if they no longer feel the need to keep quiet. The only thing that is completely secret is information that only you know or keep to yourself.

[wyrd_guy]

I am abhorred & revolted! On my second thought, wouldn't that violate certain famous people's contracts if they posted their material? Did anyone think of that when they made the new user agreements?

[sokablamo]

I wasn't overly concerned with the new ToS. I think their intent was being able to later claim rights on celebrities, content, etc that explode on their site. Its clear that social networking/Web 2.0 is the future of entertainment content. I'm guessing that if a new fad, internet phenomenon, or celebrity developed out of facebook they wanted to be able to use it for both site promotion and ad revenue even if the user who created the content on facebook in the first place moved on.

I bet they'll reconfigure the terms of service to still get at that goal, but in a less murky way.

What this whole thing points out is that the internet has turned us all into voyeurs where the personal lives of others becomes entertainment. That entertainment has market value, the same as a tv show or magazine, and the websites where we choose to "perform" our personal lives will want to profit from that.

[Aaron]

You know what. It doesn't really matter. If there is something you don't want people to know you shouldn't post it anywhere on the net.

[James]

The issue is not about whether people find out something that you have posted on facebook, it is about facebook taking ownership of your personal photos, videos and statements, which means they could force you not to use your own picture since they own them once you post them on thier site, a clear violation of my own privacy and my rights as owner of the photo when I take the picture (basic photo copyright laws)

[Mark]

I don't think Facebook has the right to ownership of whatever you put in your facebook account forever. I sue my facebook account to keep in touch with family all over the world and when I die and have my account close, then all the iformation in there should be gone forever and if isn't then I would hope that one of my family members would sure the fucking pants of the makers of the facebook website.

[Keith Dayhoff]

FACEBOOK??? WTF IS THAT???? LMAO!!!!!!

[Curious]

I would just like to know why it is that the people who cannot spell nor write grammatically correct English are the ones that always post comments.

[Shawn]

personally i dont understand what they need our info for, and what the hell they would use it for. on the same not im sorry but if they think about revising and still trying to use info from member they dam well better let those members know at least. I wouldnt want to be the person that get a random email one day from something they know nothing about.Yes we should all read he terms of service better, but at the same time i have never heard of a blog site out of all the ones i know of that uses your information if they want to. Usually all your infor is supposed to be private, guess the facebook people didnt join that band wagon.

[Bob]

Why are people freaking out about this now? Myspace has had that clause in their TOS from the beginning. One of the main reasons why you can't post copyrighted materials... cuz that means they can't steal it and use it. (If that does happen, another clause says you will be responsible for any legal ramifications, not them)

I'm an artist and was warned by all my fellow artists not to post any work without some kind of hugely visible watermark, or just not to post it at all.

Nothin new about all this... Just a different site.

[Me]

I never believed in facebook to begin with

[Jimmy]

It seems that Facebook can do as they wish with their site. This does open up the opportunity for some enterprising person to give the people what they want. Facebook is there to make money.....much like this site and if they want to tout the hypersexulization (I made up that word...don't use it without my permission) of one specific group and sell advertising based on that agenda then it's well within their right to do it.

[Robin]

Jimmy, I agree--using Facebook is completely voluntary. They own the site, they have the right to do whatever they want with it. If you choose to post something on the site, it's your responsibility to read the ToS and be informed of what might be done with your content. YOU'RE the one posting photos/info on a website owned by someone else (a free service they provide, I might add).

[Patwick]

I feel that facebook should have made an announcement on the website. I am a fequent user of facebook, I am usually on there like everyday updating my status. Now if they feel like they are given the right to own things posted on that site, it would be wrong especially if this choice of owning people's information without notifying them. Honestly I dont remember being notified on the new terms of use for facebook. And if I for some reason seen my image or information being sold or used without my information would upset me.
xxxPat

[Ed Scherer]

Facebook is a free service and many such services state that materials posted on such sites become the property of the site sponsor, in this case Facebook. This is nothing new as far as TOS agreements go and were Facebook a paid service I could understand the hoopla. However, since Facebook is free I take no issue with Facebook claiming ownership of materials posted on its free site. Just my .02. If you don't want materials posted in the public domain to become property of the entity here you post then don't post such materials. Regards, Ed Scherer, Baltimore, Maryland

[SXTZ]

Whoever thought that the net had anything called privacy is living in a fantasy world, ther is no such thing as privacy everything is monitored and every site is accessible. So if you can't stand by what you write do not post it or mention it or do anything...
Learn this lesson well...

[Eastsidejim]

What I think that all you posters here are missing, is that Facebook is a "social networking" site. It is primarily billed as a way to connect to others. By purporting to be a "social networking" site, there is a social contract created between the users of the site (supported by advertising revenue) and the users to the effect that what is posted is for the use of the people who use the site... NOT to give up copyright to the information posted.
Yes, you shouldn't post something is you don't want it seen, but that's not the issue.

[Richard Peterson]

It is infringement. I would not want someone making money on my info. For instance, if you have info and some one else has access to it they could use your info for any reason. This means also illegal uses then you are liable. Also, that is how people loose their identities. It does not take that much information. This is according to some criminals who I have had the unfortunate chance of meeting. Just because you post information does not mean you give up your rights. Remember that if you ever loose your wallet or purse.

[coffee]

It makes no sense that Facebook would risk messing up a good thing by edging in on people's intellectual property. They had people's trust and then they go and risk losing it; not smart.