Facebook's
photo-sharing service Instagram has moved to deny that it has changed its
privacy policy to give it the right to sell users' photos to advertisers
without notification.
It
said instead that users had incorrectly interpreted its revised terms of
serviced, which it blamed on its "confusing" choice of language.
Instagram's
clarification follows much user opposition to the believed change.
"To
be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos," it said.
Instagram
chief executive Kevin Systrom said in a blog posting: "It is our mistake
that this language is confusing.
"We
are working on updated language in the terms to make sure this is clear."
Compulsory
changes to Instagram's terms of service are due to come into effect on 16 January.
The
originally proposed new wording that caused the controversy included: "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."
The terms also
stated that "a business or other entity may pay us to display your
username, likeness, photos, and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or
sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you."
Following Instagram's
denial, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a US pressure group that campaigns
for consumer rights on websites and in social media, told the BBC that
"there appeared to be a little bit of a word game at play here".
"It clearly
looked like Instagram was indeed drabbing the extra rights," added
spokesman Parker Higgins.
"It is hard to
evaluate the damage this may cause to the company at this early stage, but any
social network risks losing the trust of its users. And social networks depend
on users being willing to share information, on users seeing them in good
terms."
Facebook bought
Instagram for $1bn (£616m; 758m euros) in April of this year.
Instagram now has 100 million users.
BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20777616) – December 19, 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment