Privacy Is Dead…Deal With It….
So in light of recent changes in the policy shift with Instagram and other news reports of censorship with Facebook, many are now up in arms about privacy on these platforms and the rights of users with regard to their content on these platforms. These platforms are free – you are not entitled to anything if you are not paying for it. You are a user, not an owner on these platforms. No one is telling you to opt-in to these platforms. You decided to create the profile. You surrender your rights when you chose to create profiles on these sites. What users need to do is use common sense – you have to decide what to post and what not to post – this is not your personal space…you are just a user…privacy is only as good as your decision making. 
Let’s face it. You made the decision to post pictures, status updates and create profiles. No one but you decided to do make this agreement with the platforms. Companies have the right to make decisions about their privacy issues with use of your content again, you willingly gave up the content to their site. It is a little selfish to suddenly feel that you have the right as a user to feel jipped in the process. The onus on the users at this point, maybe you feel that you were given false pretense under your agreement with the platform, but still the onus is on you. You decided of free will to upload the content, that was not up to the company.
There is no social media platform that gives you the right to expect privacy in your content when the forums are public. You make the decision to post up pictures, content, give up the notion that these sites are private. You put your world on display – you are giving up privacy. Take responsibility for your actions – do you really need to post up your world for everyone to see?
The idea that so many feel so much anger is muchado about nothing – when in fact they have been feeding this beast for a long time.
Maybe it’s time folks decided to exercise common sense rather than common outrage at these companies.
This is a great article…really.
I feel if you have something to hide (or be ashamed of), then you need to quit, so – good luck with that.
If “they” need to watch me, I don’t care…I think I’m pretty fucking entertaining myself.
Write On!
Thanks, James. I think as long as each user understands that they are comfortable with what they are sharing, no one is entitled to anything on the internet – since it’s free and you are not paying to use Twitter, FB or Instagram, you pretty much have given up the ability in your argument to be “outraged” at changes. The user needs to take responsibility for their actions.
Jennifer – thanks for stepping up and reminding folks that every action (or inaction) carries consequences!
Thanks, Jane. We all have consequences we must face.
I agree with your sentiments Jen, however, I do have and empathize with the concerns of others when the “rules of engagement” are changed. Yes, we are responsible for the content we post and the subsequent consequences that may ensue for doing so.
Even Twitter offers “private” accounts and the assumption that direct messages (DM’s) are and remain as such is an understood “given”. I can only wonder what would happen if “our” content would suddenly become the subject of public interest. Your post prompted me to dig into Instagram’s new “terms of service” a little further.
From what I have learned regarding Instagram’s NEW terms of service, it appears that some have misinterpreted the legal jargon – a point that is acknowledged by Instagram’s co-founder Kevin Systrom and duly noted in his apology that I have also posted in this reply / comment.
One of the areas of concern follows:
“Some or all of the Service may be supported by advertising revenue. To help us deliver interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you.”
Following is an apology issued by Kevin Systrom co-founder, Instagram, that clarifies Instagram’s intentions. In summary, you still own and control how your content is shared. The privacy settings have not changed in this regard.
The apology:
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“Yesterday we introduced a new version of our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service that will take effect in thirty days. These two documents help communicate as clearly as possible our relationship with the users of Instagram so you understand how your data will be used, and the rules that govern the thriving and active Instagram community. Since making these changes, we’ve heard loud and clear that many users are confused and upset about what the changes mean.
I’m writing this today to let you know we’re listening and to commit to you that we will be doing more to answer your questions, fix any mistakes, and eliminate the confusion. As we review your feedback and stories in the press, we’re going to modify specific parts of the terms to make it more clear what will happen with your photos. Legal documents are easy to misinterpret. So I’d like to address specific concerns we’ve heard from everyone:
Advertising on Instagram
From the start, Instagram was created to become a business. Advertising is one of many ways that Instagram can become a self-sustaining business, but not the only one. Our intention in updating the terms was to communicate that we’d like to experiment with innovative advertising that feels appropriate on Instagram. Instead it was interpreted by many that we were going to sell your photos to others without any compensation. This is not true and it is our mistake that this language is confusing. To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos. We are working on updated language in the terms to make sure this is clear.
To provide context, we envision a future where both users and brands alike may promote their photos & accounts to increase engagement and to build a more meaningful following. Let’s say a business wanted to promote their account to gain more followers and Instagram was able to feature them in some way. In order to help make a more relevant and useful promotion, it would be helpful to see which of the people you follow also follow this business. In this way, some of the data you produce — like the actions you take (eg, following the account) and your profile photo — might show up if you are following this business.
The language we proposed also raised question about whether your photos can be part of an advertisement. We do not have plans for anything like this and because of that we’re going to remove the language that raised the question. Our main goal is to avoid things likes advertising banners you see in other apps that would hurt the Instagram user experience. Instead, we want to create meaningful ways to help you discover new and interesting accounts and content while building a self-sustaining business at the same time.
Ownership Rights
Instagram users own their content and Instagram does not claim any ownership rights over your photos. Nothing about this has changed. We respect that there are creative artists and hobbyists alike that pour their heart into creating beautiful photos, and we respect that your photos are your photos. Period.
I always want you to feel comfortable sharing your photos on Instagram and we will always work hard to foster and respect our community and go out of our way to support its rights.
Privacy Settings Nothing has changed about the control you have over who can see your photos. If you set your photos to private, Instagram only shares your photos with the people you’ve approved to follow you. We hope that this simple control makes it easy for everyone to decide what level of privacy makes sense.
I am grateful to everyone for their feedback and that we have a community that cares so much. We need to be clear about changes we make — this is our responsibility to you. One of the main reasons these documents don’t take effect immediately, but instead 30 days from now, is that we wanted to make sure you had an opportunity to raise any concerns. You’ve done that and are doing that, and that will help us provide the clarity you deserve. Thank you for your help in making sure that Instagram continues to thrive and be a community that we’re all proud of. Please stay tuned for updates coming soon.
Sincerely,
Kevin Systrom co-founder, Instagram”
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Hope this helps!
Thanks, Redge. Yes, I saw the update from Instagram. Privacy is still up to you – the point is valid that I make – privacy is dead – we control what we post and the onus on us. What you post can be taken – by your friends, followers on these platforms. If someone wants to “steal” your words or graphics, it is not hard to do and use them for their own purpose. The companies are not protecting from you that instance. The company has to give you a disclaimer of privacy but overall, the privacy is not guaranteed. I’m not railing against Instagram, but if noticed the Facebook reference where I discuss that FB can take down your posts and ban you because it doesn’t fit their TOS – this is where companies have a right as well. No matter the message, the graphic, as a user, you have no control really over the content posted on these platforms. It is fallacy to think that privacy is assured on social media. Twitter DM’s are interesting – the private messaging can be accessed by other parties. It is subject to the company, therefore, on social media platforms, the user needs to use their own common sense as to whether or not they want to participate in these platforms. Privacy is only as good as the user, the best privacy is to use common sense – do not post what you do not you want shared with the world. The internet is not private, and the space is giving a false sense of privacy to users – many just need to adjust their usage of these platforms so to avoid confusion with these companies.
Agreed, if you’ve given anyone permission to view your “data” / “media”, you have essentially lost control. There are no “secrets” on posted content even with limited scope.
I personally don’t trust FB as I have heard too many stories of compromised accounts. The damage control is extremely time consuming and with a large following, it’s just not worth the effort.
Thanks for sharing Jen, I do appreciate the theme / spirit of your post. It certainly got my attention.
Cheers!
Thanks, Redge. I’m nearing the end with my tolerance of FB. I have discovered that FB has some place in SoMe, but for me personally, I find it to be frustrating on many levels. I have a new appreciation for Google Plus and plan to drive more engagement on that platform in 2013. Again, nothing is fool proof
but it’s how we use these platforms that keeps us safe online.