Be aware, Facebook is out for your personal information.
Those pictures from last fall's tailgate or last night's party belong to the site. Every 25 random things list is owned by Facebook. And the video of that guy tripping over a fence is the company's property, at least for now.
And if Facebook had its way last week, it would have owned your information forever.
Last week the social networking site rescinded the changes to its terms of service that would have given the site permanent ownership over everything posted on the site, meaning all pictures, videos and ideas posted on the site would belong to Facebook forever.
Most users, the same users who simply clicked they had read the terms of service when signing up without ever actually even skimming the contract, were oblivious to the change. Thankfully a few members noticed and formed groups and blogs protesting the change. After three days of complaints from disgruntled users Facebook went back on its policy changes.
But the site's terms of service are still more exploitative than most other social networking sites. While most other sites allow users to keep the rights to their own content, Facebook's policy is riddled with greed.
The current contract gives Facebook the rights to user content for as long as the user is a member of the site. When a user removes his/her content, Facebook no longer has the rights to the content. But the change in policy would have given the site ownership even after an account is deleted, so a future presidential candidate could have his/her campaign derailed when Michael Phelps-esque party pictures surface before the primaries.
Facebook claimed the change was not meant to cause harm and that it would talk with its members to help draft a new terms of service contract that all parties can agree upon.
What started out as a way to keep in touch with friends around the world has evolved into an empire looking for any way to control its users' lives and is drifting dangerously close to exploitation. And by clicking a box in their browser window, Facebook users are happily signing onto this.
It is well within Facebook's rights to use any and all content uploaded to its site, from a favorite photo to a written message. While the owners claim good intentions, that amount of control over anyone's personal information is disconcerting -- even more so under the recent policy changes.
Many users came to that stunning realization and demanded change. Thankfully Facebook cooperated. It is under no obligation to widely publicize changes in the terms of service, meaning it could pull this stunt again.
Use these recent developments as a wakeup call and take a look at the entirety of Facebook's terms of service. It is the users' responsibility to understand their relationship with the site. While technology continues to expand more rapidly than ever, privacy is becoming a rare commodity in our digital world.
Facebook still plans to revamp its terms of use. In a time where everybody seems to have an identity online, it is important to protect it. Keep an eye out for upcoming changes to policies, and if you don't like them, react. The site responded to its users before, indicating that -- to some extent -- it acknowledges the opinions of college students around the world.
If the site makes another grab for more control, respond with a resounding "No." Just make sure you don't post it on Facebook, or else it doesn't belong to you.
