In a move that has stunned the tech world, Instagram has modified its privacy policy to give it the right to sell your photos without compensation or notice. The move, which goes into effect on January 16, 2013, gives the company and its parent holder, Facebook, the right to license all photos currently uploaded for advertising purposes. As CNET report Declan McCallagh aptly states, this move “…would effectively transform the Web site into the world’s largest stock photo agency.”
Even more stunning for users, according to the updated privacy policy, you have no right to opt out. That’s right – unless you fully delete your account before the January 16, 2013 deadline, all of your uploaded photos are fair game for Facebook to sell to the highest bidder. And it gets worse. Say you don’t opt out before the January 16 deadline, but then you delete your account any time after. Sadly for you, any photos that you had uploaded before the deadline are still fair game to be used.
Instagram users across Twitter have been outraged throughout the morning, and rightly so. As a personal comment, I have always wondered why Facebook paid an obscene amount of money – $1 billion to be exact – when it seemed that there was no way to make any money through the photo filter and sharing app. Clearly I didn’t think Facebook would try to pull something like this, even in spite of their shaky at best handling of privacy issues in the past.
I use Instagram sporadically, but I can definitely do without. This is a company going way too far. I unequivocally recommend to users to delete all of their Instagram photos and their accounts before January 16, 2013. You can bet I will be deleting mine.
