Kerfuffle over Facebook Rights Grab

Facebook users have been sounding the alarm about the site's new terms of use. Facebook is claiming the right to distribute members' public "User Content" (including photos) forever, even after members close their accounts.

Facebook already had aggressive terms of use, even by Web 2.0 standards. Photo bloggers including Jim Goldstein and Carolyn Wright have been on Facebook's case for a long time. Facebook, rather than responding to such complaints, just made the terms even less favorable for users. On Sunday, Consumerist reported on the change to the Facebook terms, and The New York Times followed with a report Monday. Some Facebook members set up protest groups... on Facebook.

Facebook, responding to the uproar, sent out a statement saying "We are not claiming and have never claimed ownership of material that users upload."

Our take: This is another reminder not to post anything sensitive or commercially valuable on Facebook. But you knew that already.

Also: Read Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg's explanation.

Comments

[Keith Taylor]

A you do realize that by using their trademark logo that they now own this post forever right - according to their terms of service that is.

[coffee]

Sadly, most people would not have looked closely enough to notice the change in Facebook's Terms of Service... looks them social networkers are doing a good job of looking out for each other