Facebook Hears Outcry

By Connect2Mason Director Grace Kendall

Popular social networking site Facebook.com was the source of online drama recently when it subjected members to a new Terms of Use agreement. The updated agreement gave Facebook ownership of all user-submitted materials even after individuals had terminated membership with the site, a right which was protected by earlier versions of the Terms of Use.

Though Facebook had previously claimed “an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense)” to use content posted on the site and “distribute such User Content for any purpose,” the modifications to the terms removed a clause which promised that “[if] you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire.”

Though the terms were changed on Feb. 4, the situation did not receive widespread attention until sites like consumerist.com pointed out the revisions last weekend. News of the modifications spread quickly, and curiosity turned to outrage as displeased Facebook members formed groups including “People Against the New Terms of Service” and “Petition to Change the Facebook Terms of Use.”

Facebook quickly addressed the situation. Site founder Mark Zuckerberg publicly responded to the issue twice through blogs hosted on the site. In the first, he responded to the backlash by explaining that the site needed such open licenses to allow content to be shared between users.

“When a person shares information on Facebook, they first need to grant Facebook a license to use that information so that we can show it to the other people they've asked us to share it with. Without this license, we couldn't help people share that information,” he wrote last Monday. “In reality, we wouldn't share your information in a way you wouldn't want.”

His response did not provide enough resolution for an increasingly agitated user base, and site members continued to demand a change in the official language of the Terms of Use. On Wednesday, the site reverted to an older version of the user agreement. This is a temporary response that will hold until a new agreement has been drafted and approved.

“ . . . we think that a lot of the language in our terms is overly formal and protective so we don't plan to leave it there for long,” wrote Zuckerberg on Wednesday. The site is currently working on developing a new Terms of Use agreement, building on their stated philosophy that “people own their information and control who they share it with.” In an effort to receive user feedback to help guide the direction of the new Terms of Use, the group “Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities” was created. Individuals concerned with the upcoming revisions to the Terms of Use are encouraged to voice their opinions through the group.