The word “private” is almost never associated with the internet, unless the word “not” is somewhere in between.
The popular website Facebook is no exception; “privacy pages” or not, and with the recent (and hushed-up) change in their user Terms of Service (TOS), any hint of privacy has all but vanished.
The new terms declare that Facebook has an un-dying claim to any content posted on a Facebook page, even if an account is cancelled. Anything posted on a Facebook page is archived including all photos, comments and messages; they are saved to be used for promotion of the website.
“It’s an invasion of privacy,” said Middletown Sophomore Edwan Juarez.
As for many Facebook members, Juarez commented that he will be much more careful with what goes on his page, even if it seems harmless.
The unrestricted use of any content is not the big issue, as that right was reserved in the former user Terms of Service. What many Facebook members find most disturbing, is that all their former content is kept even if their accounts are terminated; there is no way to remove the information from the site.
“If they want to use [content] in an advertisement, they should ask,” said Middletown senior Katie Woods.
“I would probably be okay if I knew about it,” she added.
The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, came out later in defense of the change. He explained that the language of the contract had been tweaked in order to resolve an issue over ownership of messages posted on another person’s Facebook page.
Zuckerberg went on to say that the purpose of the change was not to earn “profit from you.”
“It’s so we are legally protected, as we enable you to share content with other users and services,” said Zuckerberg.
Recently, Facebook has withdrawn this change, but many are still skeptical as rumors float around that the Terms of Service page. It will be changed again at a later date.
The internet is not a very private place, on Facebook, or anywhere. Many members of Facebook and Myspace and other similar sites seem to see that the only thing that can come from posting private information on the internet is trouble.
