Over the past few weeks, the University Journal Editorial Board has seen many students post statuses intended to prohibit Facebook’s use of items they put on their profile. The copied status states that the user is claiming copyright for anything they post to the website and before Facebook can use any of their posts on the website, they must get written consent from the owner.
The statement later goes on to say that if users do not put up a similar status, Facebook will be granted permission to use photos and statuses from their users on the website.
Facebook Spokesman Andrew Noyes said in a statement to ABC News that when users sign the terms to sign up for Facebook, the user is agreeing for Facebook to use the things users post.
“When you post things like photos to Facebook, we do not own them,” he said. “Under our terms you grant Facebook permission to use, distribute, and share the things you post, subject to the terms and applicable privacy settings.”
Facebook policy problems continue to be an issue as a Senate committee considers limited changes to the Electronics Communication Privacy Act today.
The law regulates how government can monitor digital technology and communication. Courts have used it to permit warrantless surveillance of certain kinds of cellphone data.
Once a photo or status is posted on Facebook, the item is forever on the Internet, even if it is later deleted or removed.
Facebook is a company and students are merely using its product, and thus the company gets to set the terms. If users want to keep something private, it is advised they do not put it on Facebook at all.
In order to change the visibility of statuses on a Facebook timeline to “private,” the user must select the audience selector (on the bar underneath a posting status), which will limit which statuses are made public. The same instructions apply for making photos and photo galleries private.
Facebook states that the users retain copyright and other legal rights to the materials they post on Facebook, but once the content is uploaded onto Facebook, the users grant the website permission to use and display the content.
If Facebook users do not agree with Facebook’s policies they have a few options:
Decline to sign up for Facebook.
Negotiate a modified policy with Facebook.
Lobby for Facebook to amend their policies through Facebook’s Facebook Site Governance section.
Cancel your Facebook account.
Remember you, the user, have control of what is private and what is not.
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