Are You Going To Be More Cautious Where You Upload Photos Now??
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
February 19, 2009 4:45pm CST
In light of the Facebook "thing" are you going to be more cautious about uploading not only photos but anything of a personal nature? As many may have heard Facebook had a policy that just about anything uploaded to their site was considered THEIR property to distribute however they wished without any compensation to the owner...especially personal photographs. Well with all the fuss and hoopla Facebook is reconsidering this policy....still, I don't like the idea of ANY website that may possibly have as part of their Terms of Service a policy in which "allows" them to OWN YOUR WORK and possibly distribute it elsewhere without any monetary compensation. I mean ISN'T this against copyright laws to begin with? ANY WORK one creates is under their OWN copyright no one else's, so in effect what Facebook was and might do is against copyright law of the owner of the work. According to the policy Facebook was considering was that they still would own YOUR work even if you deleted your account.
Now I have to admit I'm not very active over at Facebook or most social networking websites to begin with, but I never had uploaded any photos to begin with save for my "famous" crystal gazing black kitty avatar....I just now deleted that avatar image and placed something else (a group of wolves)....Now I'm wondering though....does a place like MySpace OWN your stuff too? Never really read the terms of service there, have you?
Anyway...are you going to be more cautious where you upload anything of a personal nature, especially photographs??...hey, I'm a photographer...I'm not going to let some shat website claim ownership of MY photos.
9 people like this
29 responses
@blondielocks01 (18)
•
20 Feb 09
I'm usually cautious when uploading photos anyway so this isn't really going to affect me all that much.
Glad to see they have changed their terms back though because it seemed to be upsetting quite alot of people.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Feb 09
Yes it is upsetting a lot of people. I haven't uploaded any photos there, so no problem for me
2 people like this
@blondielocks01 (18)
•
20 Feb 09
I think if people want to upload photos then bebo is the better place because aparently when u want to delete your account then everything is gone (for good).
2 people like this
@catdla1 (6005)
• United States
19 Feb 09
The last I heard, they had agreed to back down from that policy, or at least clarify the wording. They claimed that the reason for it was that if you deleted a picture or other information that you had sent to other members previously, that they couldn't remove it from the places that it had already been sent to. In otherwords, you might remove something from your own profile, but that item may still be in facebook in another location (because a member sent it in the first place).
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Feb 09
Well luckily I never uploaded any photos there, but do know a few people that have tons of photos they uploaded...so giving the heads up to my friends there...just in case...LOL
3 people like this
@Aurone (4755)
• United States
20 Feb 09
Since I am not really a photographer, I mean you should see some of my pictures, lol. And most of mine are snapshots of my family, friends or cats. I don't think I care what they do with my pictures as long as they are not used in a bad or embarrassing way. But I understand the outrage here, the fact they could own our pictures just because we used their service is not right.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Feb 09
That could be a danger there though...someone might download one's photos and use them in an embarrassing way...mmmm...gee, can we spell lawsuit...LOL
2 people like this
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
20 Feb 09
I had no clue this was happening. Course, I don't have an account over at Facebook so no worries on my end. I'm not worried when I upload over at myspace.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Feb 09
I'm going to have to read the TOS again at MySpace and a few other places.
2 people like this
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
20 Feb 09
Yes, I read your thing over at facebook - I do love those wolves - but didn't think much of it - but now I'm going back taking pics of my son down!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Feb 09
Heehee..since wolves are my totem animal though I'd use that avatar there instead...LOL
1 person likes this
@RLongislander (42)
• United States
20 Feb 09
I'm not too worried about it anymore. They made a new agreement so I'm not worried that they will take my pictures. So I'm going to leave mine up. Even if they had the agreement I wasn't too worried and didn't think they'd take my pictures anyway
2 people like this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
20 Feb 09
Hi pye,
Too true, why should you let website own your work? I suppose that is why I don't load many pictures anyway on the websites and I don't know how to anyway, I don't have a Facebook so thats less worries for me, but its not fair on people on Facebook to have their stuff stolen.
Bright Blessings.
Tamara
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Feb 09
I'm going to have to look at the TOS of this one place I uploaded photos to make a slideshow of a collection of my photos and see what it says...if they "own" the photos, then I'm going to delete them
1 person likes this
@moondancer (7431)
• United States
20 Feb 09
I personally would not want to up load pictures and things that would then belong to the site I happen to be on at that moment. I don't think this is right for them to claim them as their own when they are not theirs.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Feb 09
well I don't know about you but since I am a photographer I just don't like the idea of the potential of my photos being used for monetary gain by someone else and not getting paid for it..thank goodness I never uploaded any photos at Facebook.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (47634)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
20 Feb 09
Just another reason why I'm glad I'm not on Facebook.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (47634)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
20 Feb 09
Nope. Just here and some cross-stitch forums.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Feb 09
How about MySpace..are you over there??
2 people like this
@pinkista (892)
• Philippines
20 Feb 09
Thank God I'm not active nor addicted in Facebook. But I do have accounts in Friendster, I also upload some of my photography but I put some "watermark" on every photos that I'm uploading...like showing that its your works by putting your name, & website on the bottom of the pics. I just hate people who claim those works/pics as their own.
2 people like this
@rebelann (112962)
• El Paso, Texas
7 Aug 21
I use excel to water mark my shots if I deem them important.
@faith210 (11224)
• Philippines
20 Feb 09
Hi pyewacket! I have just joined facebook more than a month ago and I didn't read the policy. 
I just have heard that news about facebook's ownership of the photos on tv and that is not good. I am shocked about that and it is partly my fault since I haven't read their policy in the first place. I am active in that site because all of my friends and batch mates in high school are all members and we get to reconnect and keep in touch there. I guess, from now on I will be more cautious.
Take care and have a great day!
lovelots..faith
I just have heard that news about facebook's ownership of the photos on tv and that is not good. I am shocked about that and it is partly my fault since I haven't read their policy in the first place. I am active in that site because all of my friends and batch mates in high school are all members and we get to reconnect and keep in touch there. I guess, from now on I will be more cautious.
Take care and have a great day!
lovelots..faith
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
20 Feb 09
If facebook wants right for my passport photo, they can have it. It's just a head shot I had taken a few years ago. If you don't want them to use the photos, you can put a water mark on hem so they can't be used commercially. It would completely negate their commercial value.
@gracie04 (4549)
• Philippines
20 Feb 09
Really?! I didn't know that.. glad, i didn't upload too many pictures of myself.. Facebook shouldn't do that, i mean, they don't have the right to own our photos and distribute it elsewhere... why are they doing this? for the sake of money? yay!! now, i have a reason to dislike facebook and go back to friendster.. maybe,i'd still find time to visit facebook but not to update my profile and upload my photos... i'd just go there to visit my cutie pet in pet society =p
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Feb 09
Mmmmm..wonder if friendstar has the same policy though???
1 person likes this
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
20 Feb 09
I was not aware of any of this and I too am guilty of not reading the TOS when I sign up for things. I only have one photo on facebook and a few of my articles which have been posted in many other places on the net anyway and I am aware of that. I certainly did not know about the ownership thing. I have pictures of my family on my blog and I have avatars with a photo of me on some of my writing sites,I don't see what anyone could possibly want with them, I'm not famous or anything.
Anyway thanks for posting this, useful information,I will definitely take more care when uploading or posting anything online.
@rebelann (112962)
• El Paso, Texas
7 Aug 21
It's never a good idea to post photos of family or friends or yourself. Pets maybe.
@Aussies2007 (5336)
• Australia
20 Feb 09
I did put my own question about Facebook a couple of days ago.
Did you see it?
Fact of the matter is that anything you write or upload on a public forum will become the property of that forum.
Try to remove something you wrote on mylot.
You can't. No even after deleting your account.
Mylot paid you 2 cents for it. It now belongs to mylot.
Same if you upload a photo here directly from your computer.
But with photos... there is a way around it.
Rather than uploading them on mylot or the facebook website...
You upload them on your own website and give mylot the link only.
That way... you only need to remove the photo from your website... and facebook or mylot lose it.
If you want to keep the photo on your website... you simply give it a different name or move it into a different folder. In both cases it will break the link.
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
16 Mar 09
Also, a site would need model releases
from every person in each photo before
being able to legally use the photo for
commercial purposes. They could get sued by
any person in the photo who had not given
legal permission via model release.
Other laws restrict the photo usage,
despite Facebook policy, including copyright
as you mentioned.
Just because a Facebook user agrees to their TOS doesn't mean
that previous laws (of copyright/model release,etc.)
are negated.
Laws are there to protect ordinary people from such abuses,
otherwise we would all be able to make up our own
laws and bind others to them without further notice.
Still it's a good thing to take precautions
with personal photos and digital property
as this thing may drag out in court for years
before a happy resolution is reached.
P.S. Yes, I'm going to be way more careful,
especially with digital art uploaded.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (112962)
• El Paso, Texas
7 Aug 21
This makes me so glad I never share photos of family or friends or myself.
@littleowl (7157)
•
15 Mar 09
Hi Pye..I don't upload much anyway but when I even think of doing it I will be a lot more cautios..it is totally wrong about facebook and as you say it IS against copyright rules...that I do know..bb littleowl
1 person likes this
@rebelann (112962)
• El Paso, Texas
7 Aug 21
I sign all my photos with the symbol © and my handle usually that signature is on an image in more than one place in small letters.
@littleowl (7157)
•
10 Mar 09
Hi Pye, thanks for the info on facebook, I hardly ever go on there anyway also I dont upload photos as I dont know really how to do it so am safe there..as for work thankfully I dont put anything like my poems etc on there either and as yet haven't on any other sites I am on. In future I will be totally cautious about doing that anyway...it is disgusting that any site can OWN your work and your photos etc..surely there must be some law against it...bb littleowl
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
10 Mar 09
Luckily I didn't have any photos posted there anyway. They did get such a backlash and hoopla about it, that Facebook has changed it's mind about ownership of one's photos...still wants to make me cautious about other sites as well though
@littleowl (7157)
•
15 Mar 09
It does make you wary of other sites, it does me though I don't do it anyway but am hoping to, maybe we should start asking other sites what there policies are that way...littleowl
@mercuryman3a (2477)
• India
20 Feb 09
I have not been uploading photographs to facebook so i never really bothered, but it is truly wrong on their part to distribute your photographs to anyone they choose. it should be up to you whether you want to share your photographs with anyone or not. They are your photos and facebook is just hosting a page for you.
2 people like this
