“Some people like to be stepped on – some people like to remind others they have rights – whether that’s government or corporations that need to listen. Non-violent – that’s more than OK, it’s a founding principle of humanity.” — Temple Stark
Seems a lot of people are happily gleeful to shoot down the idea that Instagram / Facebook shouldn’t get access to re-purpose people’s photos to make a little money. Seems if you sign the terms of agreement once, any change, no matter the permutation, should just be sucked up. Or you know, you can cancel your presence there. Except there are conflicting reports on whether, even that works.
So, even if some are just jumping because they’re noticing a trend, or whether some have genuine concerns and are scared of losing control of their rights – and their property rights – making a reasoned fuss seems like a better move than to just accept every new violation.
This one isn’t about Instagram being able to sell my photos, it’s about losing control of the rights to my photos and, yes, wondering how widespread my kids’ photos will get and what they’ll be used to sell.
Just saying, “They would never do …” seems incredibly naive. Odd, coming from those calling others naive. I stopped using Instagram the day the Facebook purchase was announced. I view Facebook as a necessary evil at this point and do not trust them, but surely no one would agree it’s not without good reason. I don’t like their “Sponsored Ads” there either. If people had remained silent, Facebook – or any other company – would not have reason to reverse tack.
Sanctimonious sarcasm never works. Lashing out anger rarely ever works. But en masse works, because numbers matter. Even if you’re a minority and the majority is just people who don’t care, you have the right to fight for your rights. That includes mentioning to people who make bad decisions that you really don’t like that.
Many people I notice think that’s great when it comes to government, but think if you’re using a free service, if it’s a corporation, you shouldn’t speak up. Guess what, each change that takes something else, makes the service less free.
[ Further thoughts and facts from Plagiarism Today - The Real Fail Behind Instagram's TOS ... The Verge - No Instagram Can't Sell Your Photos: What the New Terms of Service Really Mean ... Instagram TOS (as of 12/18/2012) - Terms of Use ]
