News - Instagram users angry over new terms and privacy policy

[HEXUS]

Facebook owned photo site will be able to sell your photos "without any compensation to you".

Read more.

[jimbouk]

Keep up at the back http://forums.hexus.net/general-disc...n-dollars.html

[g8ina]

and now Instagram have backpedelled !

[Brewster0101]

and now Instagram have backpedelled !

Yeah this story broke yesterday, today they've backpedelled saying it was misunderstood - which we all know is complete BS - Facebook having greedy shareholders will kill it.

[Daletur328]

They are not going to sell your photos or information, but it will be given free to those that wish to advertise with them, of course with a little bump in advertising fees!
Still going to move my account, they are nearly going to re-word the T&C. They WILL eventually sell the only commodity that they have and that's the user photos and details. Facebook can not make enough money for its investors, so use another asset to appease the shareholders.

[Champman99]

The founders are just trying to keep the share price artificially high and dispose of all their own shares gradually before it becomes clear to everyone that its massively overvalued!

[Saracen]

There is no opt-out, only the thermonuclear option of deleting your account before 16th January 2013, after which the new policy comes into effect.

Well, that offers a solution for me. Sadly, I've had this discussion many times over the years, because site after site have made rights grabs, sometimes in the guise of being able to operate the site, that give them far more rights than they need for that purpose. That ranges from the BBC to Google's infamous "accident" with their T&Cs.

So it no longer surprises me. As a keen photographer, I simply do not put work on the web. I'm not trying to sell work, but I'm sure as hell not going to let someone else sell, and profit, from it. If it's good enough to sell, it's good enough for ME to profit from it.

Sadly, if you put your photos on the web, you can't be surprised by someone exploiting them .... if they're any good. IMHO, the question isn't "if", but merely "when and who, and how".

[3dcandy]

Point taken Saracen but then how do people discover your photo's for you to profit from them? Tis a fine line you tread, we all tread indeed, but the t'internet is here to stay as are social media sites...

[Saracen]

Point taken Saracen but then how do people discover your photo's for you to profit from them? Tis a fine line you tread, we all tread indeed, but the t'internet is here to stay as are social media sites...

I think you misunderstand me. It's not a fine line for me at all, and people don't discover my photo's at all because, as I said, I'm not trying to sell my work. It's for me, not for anyone else, so I just don't put it on the web. Period.

Well, one exception. Where magazines or newspapers have comissioned work that happens to include product or contextual photo's, I supply them, and they wind up on the web. But I don't put them there. I do not, though, EVER put photo's on sharing sites, social media sites, etc. I can count the number of my photos I've posted on any internet site using 20% of the fingers (inc thumb) of one hand. In other words, exactly one, and that was about a decade ago.

[3dcandy]

Nope I don't misunderstand you at all...I'm just saying that someone possibly in your position has a difficult choice between promoting themselves via social media et al or just being a bit anonymous. It would appear (in my mind at least) a difficult choice to make if you wanted to sell your works...

[Saracen]

But it's not a difficult choice. Not at all, because I'm not trying to sell my work, and if I was, I sure wouldn't do it by putting it on sites, social media or otherwise, that either gave it away or sold it and hogged the income. If I wanted to sell it, I'd either host a dedicated, and well-designed, site myself or, for the right type of customer, use a stock agency.

It's also not a difficult choice for me over what most people call social media (excluding this place, of course). The likes of FB, Twitter, Linked-In, well, I don't use them, and doubt that'll ever change.

[3dcandy]

Haha - see now I didn't mean you par se. I get your stance completely, really I do. But I still believe that it's a 50/50 split with people with your views and people who stick pics everywhere....

[AlexKitch]

Instagram was the most colossal waste of money in recent years spent by any company, in my opinion.

Zuckerberg paid $950 million too much.

[Biscuit]

watermark your pics if you're that bothered about them being used elsewhere, not much someone can do with them then!

[Saracen]

watermark your pics if you're that bothered about them being used elsewhere, not much someone can do with them then!

Also, argubly, not much point in putting up beautiful images for people to look at if you wreck them by slapping a watermark all over them. Also, it means spending the time watermarking them when personally, I take them for MY benefit and enjoyment, not for others, so why put them up in the first place?

If people want to put their images on the web, then they have a problem to resolve and a balance to find. And they need to be aware of what rights they give away, if indeed, they care. But I avoid the issue and any concern over rights by simply not putting images on the web in the first place.

[Biscuit]

Also, argubly, not much point in putting up beautiful images for people to look at if you wreck them by slapping a watermark all over them. Also, it means spending the time watermarking them when personally, I take them for MY benefit and enjoyment, not for others, so why put them up in the first place?

If people want to put their images on the web, then they have a problem to resolve and a balance to find. And they need to be aware of what rights they give away, if indeed, they care. But I avoid the issue and any concern over rights by simply not putting images on the web in the first place.

I wasnt intending that to be directed at you, I meant it more for the people who would like to get their work seen, but don't want it to be used without permission or commission.