This became very important and relevant yesterday when Instagram (a photo sharing social site) announced changes in their 'terms of service'. Essentially what they said in their new terms was that they now have the right to use user images and account information for marketing/commercial purposes. So, that photo that you posted of you and your dog could potentially be used for an Iams Dog Food ad. Are you comfortable with that?
I knew that when I opened an Instagram account that it would be a public platform, I think of it that way for other sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. I would never put something onto my site that wouldn't be ok for the public to see. But I would be appalled to see if another company using my images to make money (e.g. sell something). * I must note, that I don't follow this same rule for Facebook, I'll explain more below.
Thankfully there was immense public backlash yesterday to these new terms. Users were cancelling their accounts every second. I personally think that Instagram will never recover from this. But with the backlash, something great came of it. The CEO of Instagram came out and told us that the terms were misinterpreted. First, it's very disappointing to hear that response from the CEO - admit fault and move on, don't turn it on your users. But that's a separate conversation. The positive is that the CEO said that he 'heard us loud and clear' and will be modifying some parts of the new terms to make it clear. It's great to hear that the public outcry will actually influence social sites to adapt. But there is an underlying issue…terms are too confusing to the average user and often we sign up for something we don’t know what we’re signing up for.
So, back to understanding your terms of service for social media. Understand first that these are free sites for a reason. You are sacrificing something getting things for free, and that is that these social sites own the code behind the functionality and own the servers where things you post are saved. Because of this, Facebook and other sites have a history of your content, your behavior, etc. and they have the potential to use it to their advantage. Next, at the bottom of every social site should list the terms and conditions. If you are in doubt, read the fine print. Take the time to read the language. It might be confusing, but it's good to know what is allowed and what is not.
Also, when in doubt - keep your profile private. Make sure you understand your security settings and know what information is available for public consumption. If you select your profile as private, photos will only be seen by those who you've granted access too. This goes for most other social sites, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, etc. I especially do this for Facebook. I started using the site when I was in college and have hundreds if not thousands of photos saved on this site that I don't necessarily want available for public consumption. If you're in doubt on what people can and cannot see for your account sign out of your account and then view your profile from a public view point. That will give you an idea on what people can see. Otherwise, your other move will be to stop using the sites altogether - these decisions are purely up to you.
Don’t
take this as a scare tactic. There are a lot of great benefits to social
networks; the friendships made, the photos shared, etc. just make sure that you
are educated on what you are using.
