Ride the Lightning

Instagram Announces It Can Sell Your Photographs – and You Can't Opt Out!

December 19, 2012

For those who chant "Facebook is evil" like a mantra, their chant seems supported by Instagram's recent announcement, as reported on CNET, that it has the perpetual right to license all public Instagram photos to other businesses, including for advertising purposes, which basically means that it would become the world's largest stock photo company.

You may recall that Facebook completed its acquisition of Instagram about three months ago. Bad things happen fast when Facebook owns you. Can you opt out? No. The only way you can avoid the new intellectual property policy is to delete your account before the January 16th deadline.

As one wag translated the new policy: "You are not our customers, you are the cattle we drive to market and auction off to the highest bidder. Enjoy your feed and keep producing the milk."

Update: How quickly events overcome a posting. I wrote the post yesterday – and in the wake of a social media firestorm, Instagram is now back-pedaling furiously as reported by BGR. According to this morning's television news, Instagram said it does not "intend" to sell your photos though the new language (unless changed) would give it the right to do so. Smarmy.

Hat tip to Jeff Fox.

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