UPDATE: See my February 18th post for an update on FB Terms of Use.
Facebook announced changes to their ToU (Terms of Use) today that has many users second-guessing what they are
posting. While it is not, in general, a good idea to post pictures that you wouldn’t want your mother to see, the stakes have gotten even higher. Facebook now says that by using their service you hand over all rights to the content you publish there – even if you cancel your account.
Read on for the changes to the Facebook TOU…
Here’s the paragraph (emphasis mine) entitled “Licenses” from the Facebook “Terms of Use:”
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.
Basically this says that they can use ANYTHING you post for their own purposes without ever letting you know or without compensating you. This should come at no surprise considering they have to pay for the equipment and services needed to provide the site in the first place. What does come as a surprise is a line from the paragraph dealing with “Termination” of your account. Here’s the line from the termination paragraph that causes me angst (again, emphasis mine):
The following sections will survive any termination of your use of the Facebook Service: Prohibited Conduct, User Content…
Are you worried yet?
Maybe I’m just jumping the proverbial gun here and maybe I am overreacting but “survive any termination” makes me nervous. At the time of this posting I am relatively sure that I am not doing anything illegal or immoral with Facebook and I don’t post anything that I wouldn’t want my small kids to see so I have nothing to worry about, right? Only time will tell.
In the mean time, I plan to continue using Facebook but I will certainly think twice about what I am posting.
Thanks for the read and God speed!