Didn’t we just go though this with Google or something? Facebook’s TOS has been revised to state, basically, they own all your content forever and ever and they can do anything they want with it forever and ever. From the TOS:
“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.”
and this was just added…
“You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content.”
Ouch. Say it ain’t so, Facebook. Where did this sudden need to own everyone’s personal information come from? Oh let me guess…a lawyer?
UPDATE: Mark Zuckerberg, in response to the outcry over the recent TOS changes, clarifies things bit. And he makes some very logical points regarding the change.
UPDATE II: A rebuttal to Mark’s clarification…which also makes some very logical points regarding the change.
UPDATE III: Ah, the power of social media. Following vehement reaction to the new TOS, Facebook has resorted to its old TOS for the time being.
