Credit: Observer.com
I don’t know about you, but I’ve already forgotten about that whole Facebook fiasco last week. I personally read its terms of service as Facebook saying, “We’re just trying to play it safe.” But Facebook’s “trying to play it safe” almost caused the Internet to devolve back to the dark depths of that one social networking site where you’re offered more pornography that you don’t want than any random street on the Las Vegas strip.
As you probably already know, Facebook quickly changed its terms of service policy back to its original wording, and then there was peace on the Internet again. However, I was reading a blog entry on the Bulldog Reporter today, and it got my mind wondering again (I hate when it does that): just how far could those terms of service have reached?
Now I’m going to make life way more difficult than it needs to be, maybe, but bear with me here. If Facebook is stating that it has permanent rights to users’ photos, videos, wall posts and all other content, then does that include copyrighted material too? Plenty of copyright owners load their materials onto Facebook fan pages, especially entertainment companies. Viacom has pages for its network’s shows like The Daily Show, South Park and America’s Best Dance Crew; so since Viacom opts to promote its shows on Facebook, does Facebook now have a stake in Viacom’s content?
I wonder how much thought Facebook put into its PR prior to changing its term of service? Policies like that don’t concern me much as a user, especially since I tend to keep all my scandalous photos off the Internet and on my hard drive for my eyes only. What would concern me about policies like these, however, are if I was a business owner. Facebook is still trying to figure out its business and advertising structure and should take great care in considering that when revising such policies. Not only will it hurt Facebook’s advertising revenue potential if its users up and leave, but it will hurt it if it’s creating bad public relations with companies by doing hostile takeovers of businesses’ online content.
Maybe I’m reaching here? But I really think policies such as these will affect Facebook in ways no one ever imagined.
