Last month, a change to the Instagram terms of service (TOS), which was scheduled to go into effect January 16th, sparked controversy as it led many users to believe that photos uploaded to the system could be used in advertisement without payment. Fortunately, the controversy turned out to be much ado about nothing as Instagram not only clarified but backed away from the new TOS.
Still, it appears that at least some damage has already been done. Some figures estimate that Instagram may have lost as much as 25% of its users after the debacle and competitors, such as Flickr, are stepping up to snatch those users up.
But even if the impasse blows over, it’s just the latest in a long line of TOS-related controversies including Google Drive, Craigslist, Ancestry.com and many more.
However, the problem isn’t just with those sites and services, in fact, it isn’t limited to any one company or kind of company at all. The problem is with the Web itself and with the way we handle contracts.
As we discussed back in March, you sign a variety of contracts to run your site but the problem is that all of those contracts are horribly one-sided. They are all written and signed for the sole purpose of protecting the company that wrote it, not you.
This is something to keep in mind the next time you click “I accept” on a TOS, as you are giving the company you’re signing with an incredible amount of power and trust. Trust that may be misplaced. [Read more…] about The Problem with Every TOS You Sign