Technology is great, as long as it works in our favor. When it doesn’t, people tend to become vocal, even when it is useless to do so. Such is the case in the recent spreading of the Facebook status update that I have seen popping up. It basically says something along the line of the material on posted on this page is copy written and can’t be used by Facebook or anyone else without permission. These updates spread and become viral, yet they do no good as far as the company is concerned.
Every time we turn around, it seems Facebook is in the news for some new complaint people have against their hugely popular network. Just recently I wrote about the accusations that the company was posting old personal messages on people timeline’s, causing an outcry from users. Now, it seems people are spreading around this copyright notice on their status stating that because the company is an open capital entity you are allowing all of your content to be used by the company as they see fit, unless you spread the copyright message and post it at least once to your page. Unfortunately, this is just another bogus chain letter that holds no truth.
This status update, which is similar to the one that was circulating in June, is likewise spreading false information and offers no protection as it is claiming to do. While you may see a slight variance in these updates, they tend to start off something like “In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc.” and they go on to mention official sounding things like UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103 laws. Because of these types of chain letters, Facebook has posted a response, stating:
There is a rumor circulating that Facebook is making a change related to ownership of users' information or the content they post to the site. This is false. Anyone who uses Facebook owns and controls the content and information they post, as stated in our terms. They control how that content and information is shared. That is our policy, and it always has been.
The fact is that when you sign up for a Facebook account, you agree to the terms and conditions of the company. Do people read those? For a majority of people, the answer is probably not. Within those terms is the section covering the Data Use Policy which is more or less summed up by the above response from the company. So, it is useless to make statements on your status like those floating around, as it does nothing to override the agreement that is already in place on your account.
If you are concerned about the use of your information, then make sure you tighten up the security on your site. There are many, many sites out there that offer a how-to guide to Facebook privacy. Avail yourself of their information and tell your friends to do so likewise. Spread this information, and do not fall prey to the ever growing number of chain-letters floating around.
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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