FaceBook Warning...seems to be true

Did you know that everything you've loaded up into your profile (personal pictures, etc.) belongs to Facebook, even after you've closed your account?

That's what it says in the Terms of Service you agreed to when you opened your account, apparently.

The Consumerist recently uncovered this disturbing info and it's causing quite a stir.

So, what does this mean?

Basically, Facebook can do whatever the hell they want with YOUR STUFF.

And, they can do so WITHOUT your permission.

to read article

http://mashable.com/2009/02/16/facebook-tos-privacy/

artists should probably think twice before uploading there work. that's a little scary.

or this link:

http://www.itworld.com/business/62730/facebook-updates-terms-use-internet-freaks-out?page=0,1

yep.. myspace is the same way though.

I think Photobucket has the same thing in their TOS as well.

interesting. very interesting. watermark everything.

Right - and it really applies mostly to advertising of their site and 3rd parties, which is true of basically any photo hosting place on the web. If you use their service, they have a right (based in their TOU's) to use that image for advertising of their site. So if they see a cute kid pic, they can use that cute kid pic to help advertise their site. It's pretty much the way of the internet.

The only thing I don't like about it is that it's retroactive, and that if you stop using their service and delete your info, whatever is still in their system is usable.

So I can't go now to close my facebook account if I had a problem with the new TOU, delete all my info, and be safe. They still have it in their systems, they can still use it.

Yea, I just watermark anything and everything.

These threads pop up every time sites like this change their TOUs. As far as I know nothing ever actually changes at these sites, it's all just for behind-the-scenes type of access. I remember there was a big uproar at Two Peas over the same thing. People started deleting their entire galleries in a mass panic. Pretty sure no one since then has ever claimed that Two Peas stole their photos/layouts and used them for profit.

Looks like they couldn't take the heat they got:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/18/facebook.reversal/index.html

Here is what our local news said about it:

http://www.fox4kc.com/business/sns-ap-facebook-sharing,0,6573295.story

Maybe I'm the jerk here, but it seems to me like this is a small price to pay to use a FREE website where you are able to upload your images for FREE! Just do what Col does and watermark everything.

They reverted back to their old TOU after getting so many complaints about it.