Summary:
On February 4, 2009, Facebook made changes to its terms of use which went unnoticed until blogger Chris Walters noticed the change on February 15, 2009. Walters post for the consumer-oriented blog, The Consumerist led to many users voicing their opinions against the new changes.
Allegations:
- Chris Walters noticed the subtle shift in the language of a particular clause which now allows Facebook to have an "irrevocable, perpetual" license to use your "name, likeness, and image" in essentially any way, including within promotions or external advertising. The major difference between the previous clause and this was the deleted line which earlier stated that this license would "automatically expire" once the user deleted their content.
- The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. More than 38,000 Facebook users joined a group against the changes.
Defence:
- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a blog entry stating that "people own their information" and that Facebook "wouldn't share [it] in a way you wouldn't want."He further explained the need for the updated clause being that even if a user were to delete their account, any messages they sent to a friend would still remain in the other user's inbox – so Facebook requires these expanded rights to make sure that could happen.
- In order to calm criticism, Facebook reverted back to its original terms of use. On February 26, 2009 Zuckerberg introduced two new additions to Facebook: the Facebook Principles and the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Both additions allow users to vote on changes to the terms of use before they are officially released.