Facebook cancelled changes to its contract with users that had appeared to give the site perpetual ownership of their contributions to the service introduced after the change had caused three days of pressure from angry users and the threat of a formal legal complaint by a coalition of consumer advocacy groups.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center and 25 other consumer interest groups were planning to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, claiming that Facebook’s new rules were unfair and deceptive trade practices, as the company had promised users they owned their content but the revised terms appeared to be saying something else. The center was planning to argue that the new terms would give developers and advertisers the ability to access users’ contributions, which members use to reveal details about their lives.
Facebook introduced changes to its terms of service on Feb. 6, which were highlighted Sunday by a blog called The Consumerist. The blog owned by Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, suggested users not to upload anything they don’t feel comfortable “giving away forever, because it’s Facebook’s now.”
Mr. Kelly of Facebook called the comment “substantial misinterpretations,” as Facebook’s license to members’ material was subject to the user’s individual privacy settings. However, he noted that Facebook did not effectively communicate that point.
By Wednesday, more than 100,000 users had joined their efforts and were stating their concerns related to the terms. Some were wondering whether photos they post to the site could appear in ads without their permission.
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